Implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) principles into your product and service experience, you bring more relevance to your end-users and create a more impactful and lasting emotional reaction that builds customer loyalty and additional useability. But it can also seem like a daunting exercise.  

The good news is that if you’re a global brand, it’s likely you already have the fundamentals in place for implementing a DE&I strategy that delivers positive outcomes internally and externally. Like serving global needs or building accessibility into your brand, DE&I comes down to designing an experience that appeals to all your customers.

Tackle the product or brand problem first. 

In one DE&I software product we helped a company navigate, we partnered with the marketing team right from the word “go.” That way, the creative wing of the product development team was able to build and design a diverse and equitable product design style guide within the system that UX designers and software developers could adapt across the board. 

Once DE&I was implemented for external product and marketing purposes, it was much easier to grow DE&I from there. We just had to keep asking ourselves: how can we accommodate these customers better? How can we make life easier for them? How do we add products and services? 

The exciting thing is that you’re already doing a lot of this thinking – especially if you’re implementing accessibility into your products and services. Or if you have a global client base.

Then, you can start to apply DE&I to internal efforts. You can hire more diverse vendors to work with you. Or start recruiting a more diverse and equitable team. You may not be able to make systemic salary changes to your whole organization today – but you can start with your next hire.

A framework for optimizing DE&I efforts

When DE&I is addressed via marketing methods, customers get the message. But if that experience falls short when customers use your products and services, you’ll create a negative outcome because of mismatched expectations. 

Like other layers of your experience strategy, you need to plan how DE&I is consumed downstream. Organizational adoption and awareness – even across internal teams who may or may not have the same exposure or cultural backgrounds – is key to making sure DE&I elements are used authentically.

Adoption of DE&I assets internally can be an approachable teaching moment. Having a plan for centralized consumption and digestible learning for teams is critical for corporations truly inspired to “walk the talk.” Take the time to understand which teams will need the most support and understanding of “why.” Understand what needs to change in your assets and why teams may not use them, so you know your adoption weak points.

An Integrated Perspective

Of course, designing DE&I into your overall experience can’t just be an exercise in visual placation through illustrations, graphics, or words. It’s actual features, meaningful product narrative, and nuanced exposure and inclusion. 

Even though it may start with marketing, the benefits of DE&I go far beyond. Whether they’re buying products or services, more and more consumers are looking to align themselves with companies that, simply stated, look like them. And investors, too, are recognizing the power of more diversified portfolios. 

In this increasingly global world, where consumers have the choice to buy products from literally anywhere and from anyone, incorporating DE&I into your innovation strategy – and ensuring your client experience is inclusive to all your customers – has the potential to pay off exponentially.