The document describes a workshop on architecting industry events for diversity and inclusion. It outlines exercises conducted which included participants sharing experiences of exclusion at conferences anonymously on posters. It discusses the goal of making conferences more diverse and inclusive. Participants then presented themes from the posters and the organizers of the event were thanked for their efforts promoting these issues.

1. WORLD IA DAY 2019
Workshop & Panel:
Architecting IA Industry Events For
Diversity & Inclusion

2. 01
WORLD IA DAY 2019
WHY THIS GUY? Formative years and years of
formation…
Industry event organizer:
• WIAD DC
• UXPA DC/UXDC
• GoodGov UX
• IAS/IAC
• COPs
It’s all of our responsibility.
I’ve stepped up and hope you
will too.
Jeffrey Ryan Pass @ IAS’18
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 |
02.23.2019

3. Shared Exercise:
Dots
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019

4. 01
WORLD IA DAY 2019
EXERCISE: DOTS
OVERVIEW
• Observed small group exercise
• Need ~20 volunteers (remainder
observes)
• Volunteers must be comfortable
with my touching their foreheads
(to apply a skin-safe sticker)
• No talking once the activity
begins
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019

5. 01
WORLD IA DAY 2019
EXERCISE: DOTS
SETUP
• No talking once the exercise
begins (I mean it)
• Participants stand in a line and
close their eyes
• Keeping their eyes close, I’ll
apply a sticker to each
volunteer’s forehead
• Once I’ve applied all of the
stickers, we’ll begin the exercise
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019

6. 01
WORLD IA DAY 2019
EXERCISE: DOTS
INSTRUCTIONS
• No talking (that includes ASL)
• Find/form the group to which
you belong
• You have 3 minutes
• I’ll provide a 30 second warning
before time is up
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019

7. 01
WORLD IA DAY 2019
EXERCISE: DOTS
DEBRIEF
• We naturally seek out people
that are similar to ourselves (at
IAS/IAC we’ve always referred
to ourselves as a tribe).
• We naturally form groups that
inadvertently exclude others.
• It is less natural and more
difficult to form one group of
‘people with stickers on their
heads’ (without consideration of
color or shape).
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019

8. Panel:
Architecting Events for
Diversity and Inclusion
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019

9. WORLD IA DAY 2019
D&I PANEL
Ali Tobolsky
@alitobolsky
Asha Singh
@its_an_asha
Daniel Newman
@CreativeNewman
Glennette Clark
@glennette
Jeff Pass
@jeffpass
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019

10. Workshop Exercise:
Architecting Diverse & Inclusive
Industry Events
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019

11. 01
WORLD IA DAY 2019
WORKSHOP EXERCISE
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019
The goal of this activity is to
help make our industry events
as diverse, inclusive, and safe
as possible by sharing your:
EXPERIENCES
(happened to you)
OBSERVATIONS
(you witnessed)
LESSONS LEARNED
(personal, professional, etc.)
RECOMMENDATIONS
(constructive, realistic)

12. WORLD IA DAY 2019
HOW IT’S GOING TO WORK
• Each row has stickies and pens (pass them around)
• Boards are spread around the room (horizontal and
vertical orientations; use whatever works best)
• Pick a board, head over, and introduce yourself
• Sticky and share (be honest, no accusations please)
• Focus on industry conference-related diversity,
inclusion, and safety topics
• Affinity map like no one’s looking
• Discuss, share, and synthesize
• Nominate a spokes-person (panelists?) to share your
board themes and learnings
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019
EXPERIENCES OBSERVATIONS
LESSONS LEARNED
RECOMMENDATIONS

13. WORLD IA DAY 2019
WHILE YOU’RE DOING THAT
The information collected during this exercise will be:
• Used to support WIAD DC and Information Architecture Conference (IAC)
event planning and facilitation
• Combined with similar information already gathered at UXCamp DC’19 and
to be gathered at IAC’19
• Presented back in a future session, poster, or post/publication
• Anonymized before any use
NOTE: If you have something that you’d like to share or discuss, but not
here and now? Let’s chat after the event or reach out with the contact
information on the final slide.
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019

14. WORLD IA DAY 2019
AS A REMINDER WHILE YOU WORK
• Experiences (happened to you)
• Observations (you witnessed)
• Lessons learned (personal, professional, etc.)
• Recommendations (constructive, realistic)
• See a few examples to the right
Additionally:
• Be honest, but feel no pressure to share
• No accusations, please
• See me or any member of the WIAD DC
Executive Committee if you need to discuss a
code of conduct issue
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019
EXPERIENCES OBSERVATIONS
LESSONS LEARNED
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Adopt a code of conduct and
enforcement plans/procedures
• Train volunteers and staff
• Indicate discomfort clearly and
confidently
• Only attend events with codes of
conduct
• Curate to include diverse, new, and
alterative voices (+ diverse curation
team)
• Provide non-gendered restrooms
• Catcalled at a
conference happy
hour
• Hugged by a
fellow conference
goer making me
feel
uncomfortable
• A more assertive
person dominated
Q&A after a
session
• Event volunteers
were unsure how
to handle code of
conduct issues
• White male
speakers get the
big rooms while
other speakers
do not
• The event has no
“quiet” space

15. WORLD IA DAY 2019
SHARING THEMES & LEARNINGS + DISCUSSION
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019
EXPERIENCES
OBSERVATIONS
LESSONS
LEARNED
RECOM-
MENDATION
S
A special thank
you to our
spokes-people!

16. Closing Thoughts
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019

17. WORLD IA DAY 2019
D&I DOESN’T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT. THANK YOUR #WIADDC19
ORGANIZERS!
Asha R. Singh Rachel Grossman Regina Lam
Joaille Araujo Renu Pavate
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019
And all of the
volunteers
without whom
WIAD DC
couldn’t exist!

18. WORLD IA DAY 2019
Sincere & Heartfelt Thanks
Hope to see you at #IAC19!
Architecting Industry Events for Diversity & Inclusion | Jeffrey Ryan Pass | #WIADDC19 | #WIAD19 | 02.23.2019
Questions? Continue the conversation?
Email: jeffpass@gmail Twitter: @jeffpass LinkedIn: jeffreyraynpass. About: jeffpass