Here’s why representation matters
I remember this day from a year back very clearly. A senior manager of my design team, who works from the United States offices had visited India. In one of our round table discussions, she asked us what we dreamt of becoming as a 10 year old. I precisely knew the answer to it because I had never let it go, I carried it with me. I wanted to be the CEO of a multi-national organization. I could dream of it because I saw multinationals like Microsoft and Google being run by Indian born CEOs.
When I entered the design profession in India, I never saw that kind of design leadership in my small world. So my dream of being an Indian CEO was still the only way of getting closer to my interests in business, strategy, and people. As my world grew, I began seeing women leading the design community in my extended team. I saw some great women designers in the roles of Design Principals, Program Directors of Design, Executive Directors of Design. That was a ray of hope for me, but here’s the thing- I did not see Indian women anywhere in that bunch.
Design and design research is still a North-America centered profession. This very fact and its implications disappointed me because I had finally found my passion in Design (I graduated as a computer science engineer, and was confused for a long time if I really wanted to code all my life behind the screen. That story for some other day!). This meant that there could be two things- either I give up on my dream of having a career that may potentially involve design, humans, strategy, and business; or I work twice (or maybe more) as hard to reach there and be the person who could represent many more Indian girls hoping to lead a profession that is not so conventional and mature where they are. I still do not completely know if the latter is possible. I know I am hopeful, I know my teams are supportive. I also know it is a lot of work, but I know I wouldn’t back off without putting up a fight that I could be proud of.
It’s simple- when you are represented, the world knows your struggles, your hopes, your problems, and your dreams. There are better chances of you finding your solutions, achieving your goals, being accommodated in the world, and succeeding when you are being represented. If you don’t see what you could potentially be, you would never be able to dream and be that.
