XX+UX comes to Vancouver to talk women in tech

Organizers are bringing a tech event for women that Google jumpstarted three years ago to Vancouver tonight for the first time ever.

Google started the networking event XX+UX in 2013 as a way to get people talking about the gender imbalance in companies that design the usability of apps, blenders and everything in between. UX stands for user experience.

This year, Axiom Zen is hosting the event in Vancouver, a city where the tech industry is surprisingly diverse, says organizer Amy Ngai.

"Surprisingly, a lot of the really top designers in Vancouver are women, which is really amazing," she said.

Tech is sometimes called a 'boys club,' because of the male-dominated culture that exists in many software companies, says Ngai.

"In the [United] States for example, it's really prevalent when you look at the culture of technology start ups."

'We are 50 per cent of the population'

Ngai is hopeful that more tech companies are coming around to the idea women can help, not hinder them.

"We are 50 per cent of the population," she said.

"User experience design requires you to … be empathetic with the people that you are designing for."

A diverse team helps companies keep up with the incredibly fast-paced industry, said Ngai.

"It's really this diversity and mix of designers that allows us to learn from each other, learn from the products that we all make and hopefully, at the end of the day, make something that's really great."

To listen to the full interview, click the link labelled: XX+UX comes to Vancouver to talk women in tech.