reading-notes

Class 14 - DEI and 301 Final Exam

Lab 14 - None

Setup

Code Challenge - None

Written Class Notes

Read 14 - Readings Overview

Resources Link/Pages

Answer

Statement on why this topic matter as it relates to what I’m studying in this module:

Diverse teams bring together individuals with varied perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. This diversity of thought fosters innovation and creativity

Consider the history: That Time When Women Stopped Coding

What occurred during the same time as the beginning of the decline of women in computer science?
- The decline in the percentage of women in computer science coincided with the rise of personal computers becoming more accessible to the general public.
Why does it matter that males had been playing on computers growing up?
- It contributed to a narrative that computers were for boys. Early personal computers, which were marketed almost entirely to men and boys, were perceived as toys for playing games and engaging in other leisure activities. This narrative became ingrained in the culture surrounding the computing revolution. As a result, the stereotype that computers were more suitable for males took hold, influencing perceptions about who belonged in the field of computer science.

Review the data: Employee breakdown of key technology companies

The percentage of female employees tends to be consistently lower than male employees across all the years and companies analyzed.
Overwhelmingly white

Ask the question: Why diversity matters to your tech company

When are diversity efforts most successful?
- When they are driven by a genuine commitment from company leaders. Meaningful commitment involves an understanding of why diversity matters. The commitment from leadership ensures that diversity and inclusion are prioritized, both internally and externally. Success in diversity initiatives often begins with leaders acknowledging the importance of diversity to the company and its specific goals.
Why do diverse companies perform better?
- Smarter and More Creative Teams: Studies indicate that diverse teams bring more varied perspectives to problem-solving, fostering creativity and innovation.
Give an example of how a diverse company can serve a diverse user base or vise-versa.
- In the article, Tracy Chou of Pinterest, who emphasized that a company’s ability to serve its user base is enhanced when its employees represent that user base. In the case of YouTube, an almost entirely right-handed developer team built the iOS app without considering left-handed users. This oversight led to 5% to 10% of videos being uploaded upside down. Therefore, when a company’s workforce mirrors the diversity of its user base, it can better understand the various needs and perspectives, leading to more effective product development and service delivery.

Things I want to know more about

We have all this data, like that last article was from 2015, yet why hasn’t there been any changes in diversity?

Retrospective

Retrospectives are a critical part of Agile, and typically take the form of meetings held by a team at the end of a sprint cycle. To get us acclimated to that process, we will use the format of a retrospectives to guide today’s reflection.

This article gives a nice overview to the role of retrospectives.

What went well, that I might forget if I don’t write down?
What did I learn today?
What should I do differently next time?
What still puzzles me, or what do I need to learn more about?
Thinking about each of your assignments for the day, reflect on:
- Is the assignment complete? If not, where exactly did you leave off, and what work remains?
- Do not get bogged down in written analysis; instead, focus on capturing the moment with an eye toward how your observations can guide you toward future productivity.