Integrating ethics into the product development cycle
❝60+ techies and Tech Leaders from Santa Barbara to [Orange County] came together to discuss how to make our digital products more equitable and ethical❞ –Ethan Cole, President, PMA.LA
Our panelists shared their expertise across the public sector, big tech, HR, manufacturing and social enterprise, at CareerBuilder, Caterpillar, Snap, Grammarly, HopSkipDrive, and LAHSA (LA Homeless Services Authority).
We’re grateful to panelists Cindy Lin, Leo Neves, Krystal Cooper, and Christopher Chenet, moderator Rachel Whaley, host Zefr and event partner PMA.LA.
Ethan shared his top takeaways:
It’s not all or nothing situation when building a more equitable product. Small actions like adding one more voice from a new perspective in the QA process or taking a course on something like ADA screen readers are ways that frontline workers can make a difference immediately without having to create or wait for a cultural change in their org.
We in tech love looking for ways to automate things and create an “easy button” their users. When inequity is built into the product users are left pushing forward that inequity and perpetuating that bias.
Many countries have more data and customer restrictions than the US. Adhering to them as part of our globalization activities, we often find that work challenging and annoying. But it’s worth asking, why do those countries have those restrictions and more importantly why aren’t we doing that?
“❝If you are going to come away with one thing from tonight, it’s thinking about: Who is deciding what products we’re building and who are we building those products for?❞”
PMA.LA also reflected on the evening:
❝It was really cool to hear about the power of data when it's used for good, along with the many pitfalls our panel overcame during their experiences at CareerBuilder, Caterpillar, Snap, Grammarly, and HopSkipDrive. Not to mention all of the great conversations over pizza and microbrews. We loved learning about all the innovative things product teams are working on across LA & SoCal!
“❝Last night I had the pleasure of joining... a thoughtful discussion around ethics & AI in product development. I also enjoyed the post-panel networking and always learn so much when I get to chat IRL with our community. A special special thank you to Karen Borchgrevink for inviting me and elevating tech for good in Los Angeles.❞”
❝Also, a special shoutout from us to Chris Chenet and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority team, who used data and analytics and developed the Universal Housing Application to reduce the time it takes to move someone from the housing match to permanent supportive housing from 190 days to an impressive 70 (preliminary numbers).❞
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