Designing for Gendered Audiences

jessicaivins@gmail.com@jessicaivins

Jessica Ivins

Photo: http://www.kitf.photo/

The Gender Question

Customer (User)

Subscribers

Photo: http://goo.gl/aJzm8w

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How would I ask the gender question?

“Input fields in web forms that ask for personal information are a touchy subject.”

- Nicola Mardsen http://goo.gl/58tStH

0.3% Chose: “Something Else (Please Indicate)”

“Octopus”“Mold Spore”

“According to the US IRS; I am an alien”

“Badass”

“What?!?!!?”

I had no idea what I was doing.

Gender Identity Research

Social Media

Facebook changed their gender identity options in Feb 2014

1.39 billion

Monthly active users in Q4 2014

Source (PDF): http://goo.gl/7c9FQk

My Previous Facebook Gender Settings

My Current Facebook Gender Settings

A Transgender Female Friend on Facebook

Another Transgender Female Friend on Facebook

A Transgender Male Friend on Facebook

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Legal Identification

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UTC article

Source: http://goo.gl/0WVg7h

Our form currently looks like this

Re-Asking the Gender Question

“Octopus”“Mold Spore”

“According to the US IRS; I am an alien”

“Badass”

“What?!?!!?”

• Is email marketing a context where customers want to feel either masculine or feminine?

• Will our site refer to customers in the third person?

• If someone is transgender, genderqueer, etc., does that matter in the context of this product?

• Do our customers have to show legal identification documentation to register for an account?

xxxx

Minimize distractions (no open text fields).

What Can Designers Do?

As designers, we’re building the front lines of the customer relationship.

Jessica Ivins jessicaivins@gmail.com @jessicaivins

Thank You!