Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Visual Content - For Instructional Designers

 

The DE&I guideline is intended for all Media Teams and Content Development Partners producing visual content with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for its visual content.

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The visual content we produce should represent diversity, and it is to be used in a way that supports the organization’s aim, without prejudice or bias. In practice, this means that the imagery reflects the gender and ethnic diversity, as well as differences in age and ability, with no single ethnicity or gender dominating, and no offensive stereotypes presented. To achieve this, we must consider, apply and question Diversity & Inclusion throughout the visualization process about:

• Balanced representation of minorities in leadership roles, promoting exemplary characteristics and behaviors
• Visual concepts that facilitate a balanced representation of diverse characters, traits, and behaviors
• Design strategies that mitigate the risk of non-contextual misrepresentation

General approaches to DEI in Visual Content

• Avoid the tendency to depict people of color in "problem" roles and Caucasian characters as problem solvers.
• Who is communicating the instruction in the course? Does the educator/instructor reflect the diversity of the world? In the past, there has been a tendency to have Caucasian instructors/narrators/educators delivering instruction.
• Avoid negative stereotypes, such as older Caucasian bosses, angry black characters, and female characters who are regularly depicted as weak or submissive.
• Embrace gender and ethnic diversity in depictions of managers, bosses, experts, and coaches. If possible, when negative behaviors need to be portrayed display more than one character exhibiting this behavior, and try to have an ethnic mix where multiple characters are onscreen representing something negative.
• Similarly, ensure that minorities are included when representing or modeling positive behaviors and roles.
• Review all proposed scenes bearing in mind how the image would be received if taken out of context. For example, if a screengrab of an image was circulated on Twitter how would it be likely to be received? If you feel that a concept you are proposing would create an image that could seem problematic if taken out of context, and may generate offense, then you need to revise the image/concept to eliminate that possibility. If revisions don't remove this problem, then replace the concept with one that does not have the potential to give offense.
• Consider how a scene may be interpreted, and how characters are positioned when developing a concept, i.e. a boss standing berating an employee who is seated at a desk, risks creating a sense of a real power imbalance with the standing figure seeming very dominant, whereas both standings afford a better sense of balance.
• Consider, how facial expressions and body language may be interpreted. There can be a real difference between a victim with a neutral expression facing a protagonist, vs a victim with a sad/distressed expression facing the protagonist. The latter can again create a sense of a real power imbalance.