Not Black Enough to be White
Summary
Of South Africa’s total population, 92% are people of color. In Design however, it’s less than 9%. As a Cape Colored Designer, this made having an identity that my fellow designers could relate to extremely difficult as I am neither Black nor White. In order to navigate a post-apartheid country, I had to realize that belonging nowhere could mean that I, in fact, could belong everywhere. This talk is about the “Cultural Edge Effect” of my heritage and how that has helped me build Enterprise Design teams and attract and build the diverse design skills of South Africa’s future.
Key Insights
-
•
South Africa's legacy of segregation still echoes psychologically and structurally today.
-
•
Dean's identity as 'not fitting in' granted him a unique, inclusive perspective across cultures.
-
•
The 'edu effect' describes how cultural and genetic diversity at boundaries creates greater resilience.
-
•
Early career exclusion experiences helped Dean develop empathy for marginalized designers.
-
•
Design industry hiring biases stem from availability bias and lack of pipeline, requiring long-term efforts.
-
•
Leadership should prioritize being effective over being certain, embracing discomfort and uncertainty.
-
•
Metaphor of crabs shedding shells illustrates that growth involves vulnerability, discomfort, and community support.
-
•
Pot plants symbolize dependency on external factors, while crabs embody proactive self-directed growth.
-
•
The 'end of history illusion' biases individuals to underestimate future personal change.
-
•
Building inclusive teams needs ongoing cultural effort, mentorship, and openness to challenging conversations.
Notable Quotes
"Not belonging anywhere meant that I had access everywhere."
"Availability bias means hiring managers often pick fruit from a tree they haven't planted."
"Care less about being certain and more about being effective."
"Society grows great when old people plant trees they know they shall never sit in."
"Don't be a pot plant, be a crab."
"Crabs grow by shedding their shells, which is uncomfortable but necessary."
"When crabs shed their shells, they're vulnerable, so they gather in safe groups for protection."
"The end of history illusion is that we think we're done evolving, but we vastly underestimate future change."
"Constraints can channel focus, but being stuck in them limits potential."
"If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Trauma is not so much an external event as it is the way that event embeds in individual bodies."
Rachael Dietkus, LCSW Uday Gajendar Dr. Dawn Emerick Dawn E. Shedrick, LCSWLeading through the long tail of trauma
July 7, 2022
"AI moves the practitioner into an editorial or supervisory role, which often signals de-skilling."
Sheryl Cababa Ethan Marcotte Milena PribicDay 2 Panel
June 5, 2024
"Guardrail metrics help catch unintended consequences like increased customer service calls despite higher conversions."
Erin WeigelUX Lessons from running more than 1,200 A/B Tests
July 10, 2024
"Lead with empathy because a lot of solutions will live outside of your wheelhouse."
Dante GuintuHow to Crush the Talent Crunch
September 8, 2022
"If our body doesn’t feel safe, or we can’t share emotions, we won’t be able to think or do work effectively."
Alla WeinbergHow to Build and Scale Team Safety
January 8, 2024
"Product operations is the blueprint for rapid but sustainable growth."
Ivana NgLevel Up Your Program with ProductOps
January 8, 2024
"Sponsor sessions are incredibly high quality but completely optional; there’s no sales pitch."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
June 10, 2021
"I used a free trial with my credit card, never canceled it, and paid for three years without using the service."
Matteo GrattonCan Data and Ethics Live Together?
October 1, 2021
"People saw small changes as having very large impact; a half-percent increase in conversion could mean 12 million dollars in revenue."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
