Shaping Authentic DEI Messaging for a Global Tech Company

The Challenge

A leading tech company with millions of users worldwide faced a critical question: How do we talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion in a way that actually resonates?

Despite their global reach, they had a significant blind spot.

The company lacked critical insights into:

• How underrepresented communities in the U.S. actually experienced their apps
• What they thought about the company’s DEI efforts
• What kind of messaging would feel authentic rather than performative

That’s where our team came in—and where I played a key role in uncovering the answers.

My Role & Responsibilities

Leading AI-Powered Qualitative Analysis

I helped transform how we analyzed dozens of hours of interview data by designing and implementing an AI-powered analysis system using Anthropic’s Claude. Rather than spending weeks manually coding transcripts, I:

• Developed and refined AI prompts that could identify nuanced themes, extract meaningful quotes, and detect sentiment patterns across diverse community voices
• Built a systematic coding framework in Dedoose, organizing complex qualitative data into actionable categories
• Iteratively tested and optimized the AI prompt, testing output quality and iterating

This wasn’t just about efficiency—it was about ensuring we captured every important insight from the communities we spoke with.

Ensuring Research Integrity

I was responsible for key tasks that make research credible:

• Verified participant recruitment to ensure we were hearing from genuinely diverse voices
• Served as primary notetaker during interviews and focus groups, capturing the nuances that don’t always come through in transcripts—the pauses, the emotions, the moments of real connection

Translating Insights into Strategy

I co-led the development of our final report, working closely with the team to:

• Synthesize complex findings into clear, compelling narratives
• Design visualizations that made our insights immediately understandable to stakeholders
• Present recommendations that directly informed the company’s DEI narrative strategy

The Process

Phase 1: Exploratory Research

We started by simply listening to build a foundational understating of how people think about DEI generally, and brand experiences.

The research objective we explored in Phase 1:

1. Understand how underrepresented communities experience the company’s family of apps through the lens of culture and identity and their expectations for the company to improve those experiences.
2. Assess whether these communities perceive the apps as diverse, equitable, and inclusive spaces
3. Determine the importance of DEI awareness among marginalized consumers when choosing products and organizations

📢 We conducted 7 virtual focus groups and 6 in-depth interviews (Total 28 participants) among a diverse group of participants.

Phase 2: Validation Phase

Armed with initial insights, the client conducted a MaxDiff survey among Gen Pop to quantitatively test which messages and proof points resonated most strongly with consumers. This data-driven approach helped us narrow dozens of potential messages down to the most promising ones.

Phase 3: Message Refinement

Finally, we went back to the communities to test our top-performing messages.

The research objective we explored in Phase 3:

• Proof Points: Assess proof points identified in Phase 2 to understand why they are appealing, which key ideas of the proof points are most important, and which aspects of the proof points do not resonate with target audiences.
• Messaging Pillars: Determine the best articulation of the messaging pillars that is inclusive of the proof point.
• Positioning: Evaluate the positioning statement to understand what does and what does not resonate and credibility among target audience.  

Methodology

📢 We conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups across 7 diverse groups (Total of 42 participants) to get feedback on messages.

Who we spoke to in Phase 3:

• Adults (18-29 yrs old)
• Adults (30-54 yrs old)
• Black Adults (18+ yrs old)
• Hispanic and Latino Adults (18+ yrs old)
• LGBTQIA+ Adults (18+ yrs old)
• DEI Advocates (18+ yrs old)
• AR/VR Users (18+ yrs old)

*DEI Advocates Feel the following statement describes them “very well”: An individual who promotes diversity, equity and inclusion by raising awareness, developing strategies or advocating for change

The Outcome

Our research didn’t just produce a report—it created real change:

✅ Delivered a research-backed DEI narrative that authentically resonated with diverse audiences, not just with internal stakeholders

✅ Identified specific communication strategies and messengers that communities actually trust

✅ Informed APCO’s comprehensive DEI strategy, including socialization materials and brand portal guidance that the company still uses today

✅ Enhanced the company’s ability to meaningfully engage with underrepresented communities and improve user experience

Reflection & Impact

This project provided a unique opportunity to work with a leading social media and tech company used by millions worldwide. By engaging directly with diverse users and customer segments, we uncovered authentic perceptions and experiences. Incorporating AI into our analysis process significantly improved efficiency while maintaining the depth and nuance required for meaningful qualitative research.

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