by Diversity and Inclusivity in the tech sector
- Moving away from focusing on current customer needs, and adopting a broader lens
- Post pandemic disruption and how it has impacted the way tech decisions are made
- The great disconnect: The rising importance of the role of the end users
- Leveraging qual for richer product development
Vicky Nef, Global Head of Consumer Insights, Logitech & Aurelia Leopold, Global Insights Lead, Logitech
You can find all Qual360 conference recordings for free in our video section!
Video transcript below (This is an AI generated summary. There may be inaccuracies.)
Diversity and Inclusivity in the Tech Sector
Vicky Neff and Aurelia Leopold from Logitech discuss the importance of qualitative research and insights in creating inclusive products and connecting with consumers from diverse backgrounds to improve the quality of life through personal tech products. The keynote talk references the webcam business of Logitech, where the speakers noted that their user base was not diverse enough and had a gender problem.
The pair took data on the demographics of their webcam users and found that their data showed that the gender split was not representative of the population. This led to a reaction from top management, where some argued that this data was just normal, but the speakers disagreed, realizing that they needed to be more inclusive in their approach.
The researchers argue that by only focusing on certain groups of consumers, companies limit their ability to improve the quality of life for everyone through their personal tech products. The speakers use the example of Logitech’s webcam business, where they noticed that their user base was not diverse enough and had a gender problem. They took data on the demographics of their webcam users and found that their data showed that the gender split was not representative of the population. This led to a reaction from top management where some argued that this data was just normal, but the speakers disagreed, realizing that they needed to be more inclusive in their approach.
Vicky and Aurelia pose the question of how to convince management to invest in faster, data-based insights, while acknowledging that most stakeholders already have access to a lot of data. The video also highlights the shift to hybrid work and the importance of addressing employee experience, including the phenomenon of the great resignation. However, despite this awareness, technology decisions are no longer solely in the hands of IT professionals, as HR and facilities management are now also involved in these decisions. The video suggests that it is not sustainable to ignore the diverse and often challenging work environments that employees face when working from home.
Logitech’s key audience includes IT decision-makers, HR facilities managers, and other similar professionals. The team used an online community to monitor conversations among these individuals in order to understand their priorities and top concerns. Through various qualitative and quantitative projects, they discovered that technology has a significant impact on both performance and employee experience. However, the majority of these professionals are issuing technology personal workspace devices to their employees the same way they were prior to covered, with less than 40% giving up headsets and even less than that giving webcams.
The speakers note that there is a disconnect between the experience of end-users and the tools provided to them by IT decision-makers, which can lead to costs for both the organization and the individuals. The speaker suggests that companies need to disconnect their company mission statement from current business needs, and focus on considering the humanity in the business rather than the business in the humanity.
Vicky and Aurelia discuss a study which aimed to understand demographics among non-users of webcams. The study found that these individuals were primarily women and less tech-forward, working in professions such as teachers, coaches, and psychotherapists. The results showed that despite working remotely through Zoom, these individuals found webcams irrelevant to their work. The study conducted pre-work diaries, emotion diaries, in-home visits, insight generation sessions, and a quant phase to understand the issues faced by these individuals. The quant phase found that most respondents experienced video and audio issues and physical discomfort during video calls. This study highlights the lack of awareness and relevance businesses may have with non-users of webcams and the need to understand their unique needs.
The qualitative research also found that there was a lack of empathy among IT decision-makers in high-pressure situations, which often led to a disconnect between their understanding of what their customers experienced. This disconnect made it challenging to communicate effectively and persuade decision-makers to prioritize end-user needs. Additionally, the research identified extreme cases, such as the need for coaching or extreme locations for learning, as an opportunity to gain valuable insights that applied to everyone. Ultimately, the key message is that end-user needs must be considered in research and decision-making processes.
