Learn to encourage diversity in creative research

Currently, there is a severe lack of diversity and inclusion in research and development practices, which makes it difficult for the creative industry to truly represent the people who might use their products.

On this two-week course from Livity, you’ll develop your understanding of what diversity looks like, specifically within creative research, and how to create processes that foster diversity in your work.

Discover how non-diverse research affects creative processes

Research that accurately represents society without bias seems like the obvious option. But there are many examples of non-diverse research, across all industries, that has lead to unrepresentative results, many of which were costly and even dangerous.

This course will guide you through how non-diverse research affects the research and creative processes, using a number of real-world examples to highlight the risks in both the medical and creative industries.

Explore why empowerment works better than attacking biases

During the second week of this course, you’ll discover why empowering diversity in our development processes works better than attacking biases, exploring what empowerment is and, more importantly, what it isn’t.

You’ll then delve into affirmative action and discuss whether it allows for genuine change or if it’s just a box-ticking exercise.

Develop strategies and techniques for diverse research

There are many small steps that you can take to improve the diversity in your research.

Through this course, you’ll learn how to develop research with diversity baked in, delving into the negative effects of microaggressions and everyday bias. Then, you’ll finish by exploring how to develop a diverse mindset and use your learnings in your own research.

Syllabus

Week 1
Research and diversity: They should go hand in hand
- Welcome to Cultivating Diversity through Research and Insights
  In this activity, we'll take a look at what's coming up in the course.
- When research fails
  In this activity, we'll look at how nondiverse research practices can cause medicines, projects and businesses to fail.
- Mindsets that decrease diversity
  In this activity, we'll explore some of the mindsets that contribute to a lack of diversity.
- It's not hard to find the right people
  In this activity, we'll look at how companies fail to consider all their options when it comes to diversifying their workforce.
- Peer Graded Assignment
  In this activity, we'll ask you to fill out some user personas based on genuine people your business might work with.
- Wrapping up Week 1
  In this activity, we'll recap everything we've covered in Week 1 and look forward to Week 2.
Week 2
Let's get granular
- Welcome to Week 2!
  In this activity, we'll take a peek at what's coming up in Week 2.
- What happens when people are empowered?
  In this activity, we'll discuss how to empower diverse voices in research.
- Small steps
  In this activity, we'll explore the steps you can take to increase diversity in your research and interpretation processes.
- Let's get baking
  In this activity, we'll look at how to question some of our assumptions. You'll also get a chance to complete the second part of your peer graded assignment.
- Research solutions
  In this activity, we'll run through some questions we should ask ourselves before starting a project. We'll also offer some red flags and research tips.
- End of the course
  In this activity, we'll ask you to provide some steps you intend to take to improve your approach to improving diversity in your research. We'll also provide some tips and look forward to the final course in this ExpertTrack.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Assess your research for diversity of thought.
Apply appropriate techniques to your research to ensure accuracy.
Collaborate with other learners to devise more diverse research techniques.
Explore real-world examples of research gone wrong.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone wanting to contribute to and foster diversity in their processes, specifically within creative industries.

You may find it especially useful if you’re looking to hire a diverse team, whether you’re the founder of a creative start-up, part of a HR team, or in a senior leadership position at a creative agency.

Who developed the course?

Livity

We’re living through the greatest uncertainty of our lifetimes. But it’s not a blip — it’s the new reality of constant disruption. And the next generation are putting on notice the brands and institutions who don’t play their part in making it better.

LIVITY is a creative business that works hand in hand with brands and the next generation to build the future better. Built in co-creation with our next gen network, our courses will build your relationship with your future audience.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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