Google DEI Training
Four scenarios from real incidents at Google, studied in a peer-reviewed CHI paper.
Google's DEI team wanted training that builds empathy and self-awareness and leads to practical action, instead of a lecture about bias. Each of the four VR scenarios was drawn from a real incident shared by Google employees.
The first cohort ran in September 2023: 26 senior staff from Google's security team, 23 on Meta Quest 2 headsets and 3 on a desktop version, followed by a live facilitated debrief.
The experience
First, as the person underestimatedLive the moment yourself, on a call, in a standup, in the meeting nobody speaks up in.
Then, as the bystanderRun the same situation again and choose: call it out, call it in, or ignore it.
What the paper reports (preliminary, self-reported)
- 10 of 11 QA testers said the scenarios felt real
- 94% average satisfaction among trainees who returned the survey
- 4.1 / 5 agreed it was useful for understanding DEI issues
- 4.1 / 5 agreed it was better than Google's standard DEI training
“Microaggressions felt more real.”Training participant, quoted in the CHI 2024 paper