podcast

The dangers of period-tracking apps with Dr. Maggie Delano

February 5, 2020 — Leave a comment
“The important thing for designing inclusively is thinking ahead of time and . . . making sure that you have many options. Because no matter how great you intend to design something, it won’t necessarily work for everyone, but by having more options you increase the inclusivity for everybody.” -Maggie Delano, Swarthmore Assistant Professor

Overview:

In the season finale of Innovation for All, Maggie Delano, Assistant Professor of Engineering at Swarthmore College, breaks down how period-tracking apps exclude people who are not straight, cis-gendered women without medical conditions. She explains how user design could be more inclusive and introduces us to the benefits of Quantified Self.

In this episode, you will learn:

  • The issues surrounding period-tracking apps
  • What the Quantified Self community consists of
  • How period-tracking apps can be more inclusive of people with medical conditions
  • How user research can think about cases that fall outside of the set target audience
  • Ways to increase inclusivity in the on-boarding process of app design
  • Concerns of data privacy in period-tracking apps
  • How self-tracking can be beneficial
  • Ways that self-tracking is happening organically
  • Ideas on tracking “subjective” experiences such as emotion and mood
  • How to leverage user research to avoid stereotypes and generalizations
  • Examples of queer-inclusive business ideas

Links and mentions:

Connect with Maggie:

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?

The hiring process wasn’t built for women. Katharine Zaleski of PowerToFly is changing that.

June 19, 2019 — 1 Comment
“When you’re recruiting women, you need to start a dialogue with the group of women you want to bring in and recruit. And it’s a long conversation.” — Katharine Zaleski, President of PowerToFly

How can we build a more inclusive and productive workforce? In this episode of the Innovation For All podcast, Sheana speaks with Katherine Zaleski, one of the founders of Power To Fly. Katherine shares how PowerToFly is completely reinventing the traditional hiring process to companies bring more women into the workplace and become more inclusive.

Listen on iTunes

Listen on Stitcher
Listen in-browser

In this episode you will learn:

  • What is wrong with traditional work?
  • What it the mission of Power To Fly?
  • How is Power to Fly addressing the gender pipeline problem?
  • How can remote work play a key role in hiring women?

Links

From Homeless to Fashion Tech Entrepreneur: Cassie Betts

April 4, 2019 — Leave a comment

Cassie Betts is the founder of District2.Co, a technology company that connects brands/designers with factories to streamline the manufacturing process, and Made In South LA (MISLA), a DevShop Academy. In this episode of the Innovation For All Podcast, learn how Cassie went from being homeless to being called “The Woman Turning South LA into Startup Land” by Forbes.

Listen on iTunes

Listen on Stitcher
Listen in-browser

You’ll learn:

  • How Cassie Betts started her entrepreneurship and coding interests in her youth.
  • Battling Sexism and Racism in the technology industry.
  • Leveraging past experiences and using them for success.
  • What District2 is and its mission.
  • The current state of the fashion industry with regards to innovative technology.
  • How the District2 platform has streamlined the fashion industry process.
  • Challenges faced by the fashion industry with manufacturers.
  • What is Made in South LA (MISLA).
  • How MISLA is trying to change the current economic situation by offering training to high paying tech jobs.
  • Problems of underrepresented minorities in the technology industry and possible solutions.
  • Training approach to help the ill effects of gentrification in communities.

Mentioned:

Connect with Cassie and MISLA:

  • www.misla.org
  • @TheRealMISLA
  • Cassie Betts on