Seal of Approval

iGIANT® SEAL OF APPROVAL

BACKGROUND

In a one-size-fits-all world, men and women interact differently with technology, from medications to cars, smartphones, and even clothing.

We see the world as trying to operate with suboptimal designs at the outset of innovation when building products or services. Products don’t fit right, drugs aren’t prescribed correctly, devices aren’t able to work as well from one individual to the next. This avoidance of a gender/sex-specific perspective creates gaps and risks which can result in financial liability, inequity in quality and inadequate treatment for diverse populations. The iGIANT® provides a new lens for success by aiding corporations and groups to see and address pre-production issues by applying gender/sex-based design thinking.

To achieve this goal, iGIANT® has launched a Seal of Approval program to self-evaluate design processes for the health, IT, transportation and retail sectors. The Seal of Approval has 5 levels that indicate how extensively an organization and/or its divisions have integrated gender/sex-inclusivity into their operating practice.

It is time for organizations to evaluate their design elements to determine that they meet the needs of all their employees and clients. The first step is to evaluate the design processes. If an organization can receive recognition for this effort, it may not only find commercial value but also advancement in human capital. The iGIANT® Seal of Approval for processes leading to sex/gender-inclusive design elements will reward this type of innovation and leadership.

METHODOLOGY

Candidate organizations/sub-organizations will request evaluation forms from iGIANT.
Candidates will conduct their own internal assessment based on the information provided.
Candidates will submit their self-evaluation results and supporting documentation to iGIANT®.
iGIANT® will review the documentation and level(s) claimed by the candidates and will accept, reject or ask for clarification.
Candidates may require clarification from iGIANT® during the process and iGIANT® will make a staff member available to answer questions as required.
iGIANT® will list the organization and their seal level by year on the iGIANT® website.
Qualifying organizations/sub-organizations must hyperlink to igiant.org when highlighting their seal in their materials and websites.
Seals of Approval (based on the specific level achieved) will be valid for a period of 12 months from acceptance of the self-evaluation documentation.
There is an administrative fee of $150 per Seal of Approval granted which is to be paid annually and each time the organization/sub-organization wishes to renew its seal.

LEVELS

Level 1 Star: Assemble a cross-functional team to assess the impact of sex/gender in design
Level 2 Stars: Develop processes to assess the impact of sex/gender in design
Level 3 Stars: Develop processes to design a prototype based on the metrics
Level 4 Stars: Develop processes to modify the product based on customer feedback
Level 5 Stars: Develop processes to make a final product based on the metrics and feedback