🦄 Inclusive language
Inclusive language is free from words, phrases, or tones that reflect prejudiced, stereotyped or discriminatory views of particular people.
Intro
Inclusive language became a thing – but we like to call it open language: making content accessible is not enough in this kitchen.
- Representation matters.
- Diversity matters.
- Being kind matters.
We can value all these things with a language that makes everyone feel part of a huge human community.
Let's start cooking some succulent and open content with our words, for everyone, based on a deep sense of respect.
Make questions great again
We all have a bunch of biases. That's fine. Most of them come from our various privileges. And that's fine too. Being white, being a man, being an able person, being whealthy: have we chosen those things? Nope. But we can do something with them. Bye bye shame, welcome responsibility.
As designers, we are all responsible for how our biases impact the way we design digital products. Let's ask ourselves if our design choices come from our comfort zones or not. If so, don't be afraid to change.
Let's talk to other people, let them speak about what they need, what makes them feel unheard or misrepresented. Let's make questions great again and let's make our design process a truly collective work.
DO
Start from the beginning: your welcome messages should be as open as possible
“Hi everyone” “Hello there” “Hi folks”
DON'T
Don’t assume that slang is good, avoid gendered greetings
“Hi guys” “Hello bro” “Hello ladies and gentlemen”
DO
Questioning the way we talk to people and about people is a journey: don’t be scared and be kind with yourself and others while learning. People just want to be heard: being open and listen to other’s needs takes patience from both sides.
DON'T
Don’t let the discomfort discourage you: working on our words to make reality better for everyone is an ongoing exercise and it’s important. It has nothing to do with a whim. Use your discomfort with empathy.
Gender
Talking about representation, we know that gender is an important part of our identity.
Do not assume the gender of the people that will use your design product: being misrepresented is not a nice thing. And, moreover, it is not something that builds trust nor makes people want to buy something.
When possible, use gender neutral language.
Different languages work in different ways, so be sure to check each of them.
DO
“Want to make it a present for a friend? Give us the address”
If you want or want to be more specific, in English you can use the pronoun “they/their”
DON'T
“Want to make it a present for a friend? Give us his/her address”
DO
Try not to ask too many details in your product user experience. If it’s useful to do so, use an inclusive list of pronouns:
- Prefer not to respond
- She/her
- He/him
- They/them
- Prefer to specify
DON'T
Don’t use a binary option of pronouns: you can make people feel misrepresented.
- She/her
- He/him
DO
If you’re unsure about how many options to offer, use “other” with another option: “Non-binary / other”
DON'T
Don’t use “other” alone, it may communicate that what doesn’t fit in the options is just “well, other”.