Building Products That Celebrate Diversity: Insights from Google’s Annie Jean-Baptiste
In a recent talk, Annie Jean-Baptiste, the Head of Product Inclusion at Google, shared a powerful perspective on how companies can build products that celebrate the diversity of the human race. From the importance of inclusive design to actionable tips on implementing product inclusion, Annie’s insights provide a roadmap for businesses to create innovative and impactful solutions.
Why Product Inclusion Matters
Product inclusion is about ensuring that every user feels seen, validated, and uplifted by the products and services they interact with. It’s not only a moral imperative but also a business-critical approach. Research shows that diverse perspectives lead to more innovation and better business outcomes.
At Google, the mantra is to not just “build for everyone,” but to “build for everyone with everyone.” This means bringing underrepresented groups to the table during key phases of product design and development. According to Annie, “You can't create something for people without having them help at key points in the product design process.”
- Google focuses on inclusivity across diverse dimensions such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, ability, and economic status.
- Intersectionality plays a significant role in this work, where multiple dimensions of diversity interact to shape experiences.
The Business Case for Inclusion
One common misconception is that underrepresented groups don’t hold purchasing power, but the numbers tell a different story:
- 1 billion people globally are living with a disability.
- The Latinx community in the U.S. wields $1.7 trillion in spending power.
- The Black community has $1.4 trillion in spending power in the U.S. alone.
Annie emphasizes, “As the world becomes more globalized, businesses must recognize the power and influence these groups hold.”
Moreover, inclusion benefits everyone. For example, the "curb cut effect" — originally created for wheelchair users — ended up benefiting parents with strollers, travelers with luggage, and delivery workers. Similarly, inclusive product designs often improve usability and appeal for all users.
Key Phases for Product Inclusion
Annie highlighted four critical phases in the product development process where inclusion must be ingrained:
- Ideation: Start with diverse perspectives to shape the vision of the product.
- User Experience (UX): Incorporate accessibility and inclusivity principles in design.
- User Testing: Engage diverse groups to test for inclusivity and usability.
- Marketing: Tell authentic, inclusive stories that resonate with all audiences.
Teams that prioritized inclusion throughout these stages consistently built better products. In fact, Google’s research found that all teams using an inclusive approach at multiple phases of design achieved successful outcomes.
Real-Life Examples of Inclusive Design at Google
Google’s efforts in product inclusion are reflected in its cameras and Duo calling feature:
- Camera Sensors: Historically, cameras have struggled to capture darker skin tones accurately, often leading to poor user experience for people with darker skin. Google’s team revamped their sensor tuning to better represent all skin tones, ensuring everyone is beautifully and accurately presented in photos.
- Duo Video Calling: The Duo team partnered with inclusion champions to design a feature that accommodates users across diverse lighting environments and skin tones, making sure everyone feels seen during video calls.
These examples show how intentional design can solve long-standing issues and create delightful user experiences for a broader audience.
3 Core Principles for Inclusive Product Design
Annie shared three guiding principles for building inclusive products:
1. Address the User Holistically
Consider all dimensions of diversity—race, age, ability, gender, and socioeconomic status—and their intersections. Ask, “Who else do we need to bring in?” to create a more complete perspective.
2. Start with Equity
Bring inclusion into the conversation as early as possible in the design process. Avoid treating it as an afterthought or merely a marketing tool. Intentionally bring diverse voices to the table from the start.
3. Continuously Test and Iterate
Inclusion