Code of Conduct

Be aware of Privilege.

Society has been largely constructed for and controlled by a very narrow demographic. Often what is said by feminine-identifying people, people of color, people with disabilities, and various other groups is considered less valuable.

For this reason, we invite PRIMER attendees to consciously recognize their individual privileges and the dynamics of the conversations in which they participate:

Are you a native speaker of English?

Are you cis, white, able-bodied, and/or identify as male?

Are you an “expert” in the field?

Leave space for true dialogue.

At PRIMER, deep listening is our way to interact in inclusive ways. Allow time and space for everyone to share their thoughts during workshops or other small groups. While pauses in conversation can feel uncomfortable or unnatural for some, leaving space allows second-language speakers as well as introvert/ introspective personalities to gather their thoughts.

Leaving space can look like:

Simply not speaking so there is literal space for others to speak

Saying “I’d love to hear from someone who hasn’t spoken yet” if you notice there are a few voices dominating the conversation

If you have a personal relationship with someone who has not spoken during the conversation consider whether or not it might be appropriate to ask them “what do you think?”

Mute except when speaking.

When speaking, please use video if your connection allows as non-verbal communication can aid in inclusive communication between individuals.

Please stay on mute unless speaking.

Network respectfully and support others.

The Hopin platform limits networking conversations to approximately three (3) minutes. If during networking, individuals would like to continue the conversation, Hopin provides private chat functionality as well as for each

individual to provide personal contact information within their profile for alternative follow up communication.

Hiring and job hunting.

The profile feature in Hopin supports search functionality.

Individuals looking to hire can use the term “hiring,” include titles of open jobs and preferred methods of contact.

Example:

“Hiring: Design Researcher. Feel free to send me a message with a link to your resume, your time zone, and some windows you’d be free for a 5-minute chat.”

Job seekers can use the term “seeking,” include job titles being pursued, and complete the LinkedIn/website profile feature so that hiring managers can search accordingly.

Example:

“Seeking: Innovation Director. www.xyz.com/resume”

Be a PRIMER mentor.

Many people may be attending their first PRIMER conference, are new to design futures, or they might be students or emerging members in their career field. Experienced individuals interested in providing feedback on resumes, portfolios, or other ‘how do I get started advice’ in a quick 5-minute video chat, feel free to use the word “mentor” in their profile. Be sure to state which fields or geographic areas in which people can ask help.

Example:

“I have 7 years of experience in healthcare UX in the Bay Area. Willing to PRIMER mentor in UX Design, UX Research, Strategic Foresight.”

Note:

The expectation is that conversations will be ad hoc and last no longer than 5 minutes so that they are easy to initiate and easy to offer.

Understand what harassment is.

Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion, technology choices, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, and unwelcome sexual attention.

Any attendee of PRIMER engaging in harassing behavior should be asked to stop and will be expected to comply immediately. This policy includes sponsors who should not use sexualized images, activities, or other material.

Regarding any harassing behavior, conference staff and the Design Futures Initiative as an organization may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the conference, exclusion from future PRIMER conferences, and/or other DFI related programs.

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the conference staff immediately. In Hopin, our conference platform, you have the ability to report someone to be removed from the event.

For reporting and help regarding harassment please visit #_dfi-primer-help slack channel or send a slack direct message to @Sarah Hendrix. Enforcing the code of conduct so that all attendees feel safe as well as assisting those experiencing harassment is critically important. We value your attendance.