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Diversity and Equality: 
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Fostering learning and exploration around EDI through a Digital Learning Platform and certification programme

Project Type: Service Design and Organisational 
 

Organisation: Knowit Experience Oslo, Norway 
 

My Role: Ellen Kjær (Project leader), Espen Vindegg (Technical lead), Ole Alstad (Content and Technical Lead) and Jessica Ann Venø (Service Designer) 
 

Timeline: December 2020 - June 2021

“Diversity and Equality Norway” was an internal initiative commissioned by Knowit’s concern group. The goal was to accelerate equality and diversity across all Norwegian offices and embed these values into everyday practice.

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Which resulted in: 

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  • A developed and delivered certification programme aimed at raising awareness around equality and diversity for Knowit Norway. With the goal of ensuring equality through strengthening the ability to recognise, address and openly talk about equality and diversity challenges.
     

  • Roll out of a digital learning platform for 1000 employees (May 2021), through 6000 hours of combined effort including e-learning, virtual workshops, and collaborative group work.
     

  • Resulting in a company certification in Equality and Diversity which is now part of onboarding for all new employees and offered annual as a refresher.

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The project focused on four key areas:

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  1. Success stories showcasing an inclusive culture

  2. Recruitment practices that promote diversity

  3. Increasing knowledge and understanding among 1,000 employees

  4. HR follow-up on measures and deviations
     

For the first two quarters of 2021, our team concentrated on knowledge and understanding by creating a digital learning platform and running collaborative workshops. Themes included unconscious bias, psychological safety, and how to navigate sensitive conversations.

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The work was divided into three main actions:

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  • Digital Learning: an online course for all employees

  • Digital Collaboration: workshops on broader diversity and equality topics

  • Internal Dialogue: workshops focused on company-specific challenges

Process

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The process had two main objectives:

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1. Build a Digital Learning Platform:


We began with a Discover and Define phase, researching existing solutions and interviewing experts to understand best practices for online diversity training. We also explored how other companies approached similar challenges.

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Based on these insights, we rapidly prototyped and tested platforms with employees to identify the best fit. Key criteria included flexibility for multimedia content and ease of navigation. After testing, we selected Motimate, a no-code platform, and developed a proof of concept.

​2. Co-design Content and Test


Next, we co-designed content with 15 employees through structured workshops. These sessions shaped the tone, language, and interaction design of the course. We then ran quality-check workshops with UX writers and interaction designers before piloting the course with 16 employees.

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After refining the content, the course rolled out to all employees in May 2021, followed by 20 digital workshops (20 participants each) from June to August. These workshops allowed employees to apply their learning, discuss real scenarios, and provide feedback for continuous improvement. Throughout the project, we worked in agile sprints, held weekly stand-ups to address challenges, and ran retros after each phase to reflect on successes and areas for improvement.

My Role

 

I was invited to lead the service design approach due to my ongoing advocacy for diversity and inclusion and my postgraduate research on this topic. My dissertation focused on the lack of diversity in design teams in Norway, making this project a natural continuation of that work.

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My responsibilities included:

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  • Employee involvement: co-researching platform options and co-designing content

  • Turning insights into prototypes: shaping the course structure and interaction design

  • Facilitating digital workshops: guiding discussions on sensitive topics and ensuring psychological safety

  • Testing and iteration: leading user testing and incorporating feedback into the final product

     

This role required balancing strategic thinking with hands-on facilitation, adapting methods for remote collaboration, and ensuring inclusivity throughout the process.

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Anchor EDI

Key Learnings

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  • User involvement is essential: If time allowed, I would have added creative research methods like probe kits to capture deeper insights.
     

  • Agility matters: Shorter feedback loops and guerrilla testing would have improved platform decisions.
     

  • Transparency builds trust: Keeping Miro boards open encouraged engagement and feedback.
     

  • No-code works: Using Motimate saved time, money, and resources while delivering an effective solution. Today I would have used AI sites such as Lovable to build prototypes to help test and decide which platform would be best aligned to host a digital learning platform.
     

  • Digital facilitation skills: I learned to design and run engaging workshops for large groups in Miro during Covid restrictions.
     

  • Adaptability:  Agile processes made it easier to pivot when decisions needed revisiting.

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Reflection ​

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​This project didn’t solve all diversity and equality challenges especially in recruitment, but it was a step toward turning policy into action. Diversity and equality are not static goals; they evolve with society. Companies like Knowit must continue creating agile processes, services, and conversations to foster fairness and inclusion.

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