Practicing empathy can teach us the value of diversity and inclusion in tech

Post by throwaway_pdp09 » Thu, Jun 04, 2020, 8:33 AM UTC

collyw wrote: post #29

throwaway_pdp09 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Damn right 5 years is a long time. A very long time. If a competent programmer in language L in domain D can't transfer to another language L2 and domain D2 in half a decade then they aren't fit to employ at all. Curious: what are you doing that you think 5 years' experience is necessary?

Why do you think its only about language ability and coding?

Why don't you tell me what those other things are instead of expecting me to guess?

I presume those other things are not[0] gender and skin colour, so what else is relevant, you tell me.

[0] almost missed out the 'not'. That would have made for fun fireworks.

Post by mcarda_indigoag » Thu, Jun 04, 2020, 12:20 PM UTC

collyw wrote: post #30

acconrad wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Look at meetups, social groups, conferences that serve underrepresented communities (both locally and nationally). You should be looking because diversity of experience and opinion helps you build a more well-rounded product that your users can empathize with. Alternative and comprehensive perspectives will only help your group thrive and expand their reach as well as build a sense of community and culture on your te…

The meetup groups I have been to have been just as much of a sausage party as any companies I worked for. Why do you need different skin colour or a vagina to have an alternative perspective? Do I think the same as all other white guys? Or do my blue eyes give me some unique insight that brown eyes (which are uncommon in this country) don't?

Full disclosure, I haven't had time to vet the individual studies cited, but this article could be a good starting point to investigate this idea. Be sure to at least look at the second half, where they move from correlation to causation: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-mak...

Here's the paragraph I want to highlight:

"Members of a homogeneous group rest somewhat assured that they will agree with one another; that they will understand one another's perspectives and beliefs; that they will be able to easily come to a consensus. But when members of a group notice that they are socially different from one another, they change their expectations. They anticipate differences of opinion and perspective. They assume they will need to work harder to come to a consensus. This logic helps to explain both the upside and the downside of social diversity: people work harder in diverse environments both cognitively and socially. They might not like it, but the hard work can lead to better outcomes."

Re: Practicing empathy can teach us the value of diversity and inclusion in tech

Re: Practicing empathy can teach us the value of diversity and inclusion in tech