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How to battle racism with Janet Stovall

January 22, 2020 — Leave a comment
“It is not about individual bigotry. It’s about systemic racism. Racism is not just bigotry, and it’s not just prejudice. It’s prejudice plus power, so we must disrupt the power structures. It’s not the individual . . . it’s the institutions that our country was built on that.” – Janet Stovall

Overview:

In this episode of Innovation for All, Janet Stovall tells us about her history fighting for inclusion since she was a student at Davidson College through present day, where she is the current speech writer for the CEO of UPS. She discusses the complexities of being a woman of color in the workforce and how to address institutionalized racism.

In this episode you will learn:

  • The history of Project 87 at Davidson College
  • How measurable, quantifiable movements are successful
  • What it’s like to be a “stand-in director of diversity”
  • Experiences of being an Executive Speech Writer for UPS’s CEO
  • How Janet left corporate America to start her own business
  • The business case for diversity
  • Challenges of corporate America
  • Pros and cons of being self employed
  • Overcoming discrimination against women of color in the workforce
  • How not all forms of diversity are equal

Links and mentions:

Connect with Janet:

What should change in 2020? My favorite guests return.

January 8, 2020 — Leave a comment

In this special episode, our favorite experts on AI, product designers and more return to the podcast to answer two key questions: What’s the biggest news in your field in 2019, since we recorded the podcast? What’s something that’s been missing from the conversation that you’d like to see gain more interest in 2020?

You don’t want to miss this one. You’ll hear from:

  • Reena Jana (@rjmac), Google’s Head of Product and Business Inclusion. Hear more in her full episode:
  • Josh Lovejoy (@jdlovejoy), Principal design manager, ethics and society at Microsoft. Hear more in his full episode: What does human-centered AI even mean?
  • Sherry Hamby, Director of the Life Paths Research Center (LPRC). Hear more in her full episode: Stereotyping Appalachia: What Tech Gets Wrong
  • Wendy De La Rosa (@wdlrosa), co-founder of Common Cents Lab. Hear more in her full episode: Why FinTech is failing the poor?

What would ethical data practices look like? Featuring Amanda McGlothlin

March 20, 2019 — Leave a comment

“Tech should be built for good” says Amanda McGlothlin, co-founder and Chief Design Officer at HQ Network, a Los Angeles space start-up providing digital security products and services for individuals and businesses. As a leader in tech, Amanda believes that privacy is a fundamental human right. Hear her tactical, realistic approach to product design that truly protects the user’s privacy.

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IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

  • How VPNs secure your information and prevent unwanted information getting to your devices.
  • How ads and third party tracker are not only annoying, but cost us money and make our technology less valuable.
  • The future of an ad-free user experience.
  • The use of ad-blockers and whether they are as effective as we think.
  • The new privacy laws that protect consumers from data breaches.
  • How companies can exercise more responsibility around their data practices to both protect the user and create success for their business.
  • What product managers and coders can do to support these companies who are willing to change their data practices for good.
  • What dark patterns are and how they apply to data and tracking.
  • Why it’s possible to collect data in moderation and still experience the benefits of analytics.
  • HQ Network’s view of data collecting and their ethical approach to their data practices.
  • A recent Facebook scandal and how it relates to user research.
  • How consumers can protect their data and exercise safety while online.
  • Facebook, as an example of a company that uses less than perfect data practices.

LINKS:

OTHERS MENTIONED:

  • VPN
  • GDPR
  • Facebook
  • iTunes
  • Apple
  • Sally Hubbard
  • Google Analytics
  • Cookies
  • Javascript
  • Stripe
  • App Store
  • Google
  • Enterprise Certificate
  • Instagram
  • WhatsApp
  • Troy Hunt
  • Katharine Hargreaves
  • ARKO
  • Stuart Turner

If you enjoy this episode, you might enjoy my conversation with Sally Hubbard: Google and Facebook are Monopolies: Does it matter?

How can technology help close early education gaps? feat. Cyrena Chih

March 6, 2019 — Leave a comment

DESCRIPTION

Today on the Innovation For All Podcast, Sheana chats with Cyrena Chih, formerly the Director of Product & Business Development for Khan Academy Kids. Learn in this episode how digital educational resources can support kindergarten readiness.

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Khan Academy Kids is a free app, available on iOS and Android, that offers early-learning development activities for two- to six-year-old kids. It features engaging activities that develop not only the literacy and math skills of the child but also social-cognitive skills. Cyrena discusses the product and business choices they’ve made to ensure their product reaches more low-income children and families. She also describes how to tell whether an “educational” app is really designed with kids in mind.

YOU’LL LEARN:

  • How to design kid-friendly applications
  • What a well-executed adaptive learning program looks like
  • Why they choose to turn from a for-profit to a non-profit
  • How do we choose technology to alleviate early achievement gaps?
  • The importance of parents co-playing with their kids.

LINKS

Others Mentioned

CONNECT WITH CYRENA

On Twitter –

Why FinTech is failing the poor with Wendy De La Rosa

February 20, 2019 — Leave a comment

How can FinTech leverage behavioral economics to help people become more financially secure? Sheana Ahlqvist talks to Wendy De La Rosa, co-founder of Common Cents Lab, a research lab that launches and tests products to help low-to-moderate-income Americans.

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IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR:

  • What kinds of Fintech products and apps effectively help people budget and save.
  • How certain Fintech apps could be hurting more than helping those below the poverty line.
  • Why lots of common features are ineffective and undermine our interest in savings.
  • Tricks from behavioural economics that anyone can use to get their spending habits in order.
  • How the needs of those in poverty are drastically different and what product managers can do to fit their unique needs.
  • Specific ways to remove friction around SNAP benefits, tax refunds and loan repayments to help people in poverty get ahead.
  • Frequency Budgets vs. Financial Budgets
  • What dark patterns are and how they apply to Fintech products.
  • How “round-ups” can help people save money in the long term.
  • How temptation plays a major role in how people deal with their money.

Sheana and Wendy also talk about Wendy’s course: Designing AI to Cultivate Human Well Being.

LINKS:

OTHERS MENTIONED:

  • Tech Crunch
  • Forbes
  • 30 Under 30 Forbes
  • PBS News
  • MetLife Foundation
  • Uber
  • Lyft
  • SNAP Benefits
  • Ford
  • Amanda McLaughlin
  • Jennifer Aaker
  • Fei Fei Li
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Stanford University