HITESH SINGHAL

How might we evolve the innovation process to
enables more gender transformative outcomes?

 The true challenge—was how to support technology teams in developing a more inclusive approach to internal innovation process. We see a future where we design with an intersectional lens and propel everyone forward.



In recent years, technological advancements have played a transformative role in the way we communicate, run businesses or make decisions. These advancements have a huge potential in shifting gender norms and in contributing to achieving gender equality. However, too often, women and girls in particular, remain at the margins of tech ecosystems, and at times the solutions developed can even play a role in perpetuating gender biases and discrimination.

This interactive guide is designed to support innovators to create a positive innovation culture and help people inside and outside of organizations break barriers, come together for gender transformative change.  





The whole design system is built was built as a kit of parts that can be used in different context based on needs.
Each chapter contains a number of modules, broken down by various stages of the innovation process. Each module asks a key question, and a number of activities that can be completed to attempt to answer to the question and access additional resources to dig deeper. 

I designed both the content, visual system and interactive experience of the activities and resources, guided by a core principle: making foundational gender concepts easy to understand and actionable for tech teams. The goal was to help them identify relevant opportunities to shift their internal design processes toward greater inclusion.








One of the biggest challenges was designing a framework that helps teams not just talk about gender equity—but build it into their solutions.
We created a continuum that maps concepts and prototypes from Gender Negative to Gender Transformative. By checking ideas against this scale at key milestones, teams can spot when they're playing it safe—and push further toward real impact.

Every design decision has ripple effects. It can break down barriers—or quietly reinforce them. When we understand who’s being left out, we unlock clear, actionable ways to design more inclusive, more equitable innovation. This toolkit equips teams with a structured, human-centered lens to reframe their challenge through gender. It’s not just about being thoughtful—it’s about being bold.

Once teams understand the user’s context, they move into uncovering the systemic barriers those users face because of identity and environment. From there, the goal is to spot the gaps—and design solutions that directly address them.




Collaborators:
Aggie Toppins, Luan Nio at IDEO.org, 2021