apidays Paris 2022 - Let’s not make the diversity mistake in NoCode, Manon Mercier, HEC Innovation Center Paris

Let’s not make
the same
Divsersity
mistakes than
with software
engineering
15th December 2022
Manon Mercier
NoCode &
Diversity
Impact Product Builder
@HEC Innovation Center

2023 SERIES OF EVENT
New York
May 16&17
Australia
October 11&12
Singapore
April 12&13
Helsinki & North
June 5&6
Paris
SEPTEMBER
London
November
15&16
June 28-30
SILICON VALLEY
March 14&15
Dubai & Middle East
February 22&23

Who are you ?
Software engineer* ?
NoCode Maker* ?
Product Manager* ?
*Or smth like this

You'd rather
consider
yourself as a....
Beginner in No Code* ?
Expert* ?
*Or smth like this

You've probably heard that...
NoCode + Profesionnal
retraining = 🔥
1
No need for specific profile,
NoCode tools are equally open
to everyone
2

3
Tomorrow you can earn
500€/day & work from
anywhere in the world
The world will need 100 000
professionnal NoCode
makers by 2025
4

Everyone could be one of
them, you just need a
computer and motivation
5 6
No code tools are easy to use

You can change the world with
NoCode tools, by making it
more inclusive
7 8
NoCode community is super
diverse and inclusive. And
Tech will be so too ❤️

But when you started, maybe you've realized...
If not, it means you're lucky (and probably priviledged, but it's ok !)

There are
32% of women
VS 68% men
77% of
Nocoders
studied
Scientifics, IT
or Economics
Sorry guys, but
let’s break
received ideas :
No-Code isn’t so
inclusive yet
72% of Nocoders
have higher
Degree than
Bac+3
A 2022 survey on 375 people within
NoCode France community shows that...
VS 30% of the French
population between 25 and
44 years (INSEE)

But WHY ?
Especially if we have all those good intentions about NoCode ?

1
Women are underrepresented in IT/digital : they are
only 30%. And only 17% of software engineers (Cf Ada
Tech School)
3
In 2021, on 800 teenagers, only 33 % of the girls were
encouraged by their parents to study IT/digital.
VS 61% of the boys (Cf Ipsos/Epitech)
4
In 2020, only 1 startup on 5 created was founded by a
women (or a mixed team) (Cf Sista barometer)
NoCode isn't
outside of society
2 41% of the women in IT leave their job after 10 years of
career. VS only 17% for men (Cf Ada Tech School)
IT/Tech is a man's man's World...

Intentions aren't
enough 1 Good intentions : necessary to start
2
Acknowledge social inequities : realize that advantages
& opportunities aren't equally distributed
Diversity isn't about willingness, it is about
turning into efficient actions.
3
Activate Diversity : define clear goals, metrics &
roadmap to get there
4
Embody inclusion : constant & dynamic process to
respect differences

13% of women in software engineering
Most of the jobs linked to those are masculine
13% of women in construction
But why women hands cannot use them ? 🖐🏼

13% of women in construction 13% of women in software engineering
No tool is discriminating/inclusive by nature : our social uses and practices
creates exclusion/inclusion.
Multiple factors : lack of knowledge of opportunities, sexist behaviors,
stereotypes, gender gaps in education

So finally...
Just because you don't need to code ?
How could No-Code tools
fight and replace strong
social standards /
behaviours /stereotypes
as if by magic ?

Ok so... This being said... WHAT should we do ?
How could we make NoCode actually more diverse and inclusive ?

And WHAT ABOUT all those speeches about NoCode,
full of hope, good intentions (& marketing) ?
Should we throw everything away ?

I think a nuanced opinion
is required

What's for sure
It's impossible to fight
something that doesn't
exist
No data = No
measure = No
diversity
assumptions !
Let's be
aware of the
big lack of
Diversity in
Tech

Keeping saying we are so much diverse
and inclusive, without being aware of it :
best way to make sure we’ll never be.

Hello !
We are inclusive
here because we
invite everyone
The example of an inadequate party

“Diversity is being invited to
the party; inclusion is being
asked to dance”
Verna Myers

NoCode
Traditionnal
Software
engineering
OMG I think this
may be an
opportunity
window for more
inclusion in Tech !!
This being said...
We're not
gonna miss
it this time !!

1
But as it's mostly marketing, if this inclusion
isn't for real : the lie can be twice as violent !
3
No previous use of boolean or algorythmic logic
before NoCode = more struggles to get this new
way of thinking.
2
NoCode tools are abstractions of programming
languages, so they are based on it. And to use a
tool, you need to understand its logic.
Speeches of easiness and inclusivity of NoCode
can have some positive effects = bring new
people to IT and engineering world
Let's not throw
the baby with the
bath water. But...
*Freely inspired by Carole David & Alexis Kovalenko speeches, who made a huge work on spreading Diversity & Inclusion culture within NoCode France community

1
DON'T underestimate what it takes to
become a NoCoder.
Do's and Don'ts *
*Freely inspired by a roundtable organized by Maestro School with Carole David, Ghita Benotmane & Marcy Ericka Charollois (December 7, 2022)
2
DON'T give unsolicited opinion or advice.
It can be really toxic & unproductive. Even
though you had good intentions.
3 DON'T think NoCode tools are user friendly
by nature.

Do's and Don'ts *
1
2
DO be aware & spread this idea of a whole new
logic to get. Normalize it to newbies &
beginners, for them to feel legit & confident.
DO show to the people around you that you are
making mistakes too, that you are still testing
and experimenting things.
3
DO learn to listen to beginners, to their
experience and learning path with NoCode
tools. Even though you are an expert.

4
5
DO think about how you act as an expert, how
do you give space to those who aren’t. Work on
puting your ego aside.
DO teach people how to fish, rather than giving
them a fish. Work to empower them instead of
giving them solutions.
Do's and Don'ts *

Do's and Don'ts *
6
7
DO try to give more space and exposure to
underrepresented groups in NoCode (Women, people with
disability, racialized people, LGBTQIA people, people with less
graduations…).
DO create role models that aren’t extraordinary. Allow a
"without ambition" use of NoCode.
8
DO be aware of your own unsconcious biases and
priviledges (we all have some), and don’t be afraid to
voice them aloud.

Personal example
Come from studies in Political Sciences, super far from engineering, mathematics and logic.
Accidentally landed in the IT and NoCode, and decided to convert into it.
Today : Product Builder specialized in Social Impact, but the way to get there was sometimes really hard !
Good motivation to jump into it, and to feel
legitimate.
"NoCode is so easy & accessible"
So much more efforts & time than for people
with IT/Scientifical/Economics background.
But with a retrospective...
Hard to carve out a place in this world
And to have the proper tools to learn the new logics
I hadn’t.
I would have 100% prefered to know there
was other issues I was fighting against
Or just to use NoCode tools, & create from them.
And still, I am aware that I've been super lucky & priviledged !

Conclusion
NoCode tools : smaller
amount of practitioners and
shorter learning curve than
software engineering.
Nice opportunity
window for more
Diversity in IT/Digital.
But NoCode isn’t
more inclusive by
nature. Let’s stop
spreading this idea !
It’s our uses that
make something
more or less
inclusive, not the
topic itself.
*Freely inspired by Carole David speeches, who made a huge work on spreading Diversity & Inclusion culture within NoCode France community

NoCode
Traditionnal
Software
engineering
If we really want to make
this No-Code revolution
more inclusive, we need to
work on it, to transform
this really nice opportunity
window into reality !

Thank you
Have a
great day !
15th December 2022
QR Code lien
présentation
Manon Mercier
Impact Product Builder
@HEC Innovation Center

apidays Paris 2022 - Let’s not make the diversity mistake in NoCode, Manon Mercier, HEC Innovation Center Paris

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