Negative space: What removing profile photos taught me about design's ability to reduce discrimination

In 2016, Airbnb guests began to share their experiences of being discriminated due to the colour of their skin. #AirbnbWhileBlack became an inflexion point that drove Airbnb to confront the reality that, despite the companies mission of "belonging"; underrepresented groups feel like *do not belong* on Airbnb.

I joined Airbnb to lead design for their Anti-discrimination team. My mission was to - a product team whose mission is to see if it's possible to use design to tackle discrimination

I will share an action-focused case-study about my team's work to remove profile photos from the Airbnb experience. The story will highlight how I used a relatively small UI/UX change that

1. Reduced discrimination across our global community.

2. Boosted business metrics (despite evidence to the contrary)

3. Drove a shift in our company culture that helped us move closer to our mission of "belonging."

The audience will leave with a nuanced understanding of the role that bias plays in their workflows, the insight that even the simplest UI/UX change can lead to dramatic effects, and with a simple tool that they can use to make more inclusive product decisions.