UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP)

Bias and Backlash: A Decade of Stalled Progress on Gender Equality

ROLE

Lead Designer

Motion Design

Ideation
Layout

Visual Storytelling

STATUS

Launched Globally

TEAM

Lead Developer

Content Producer

Project Manager

Fact Checker

Social Media

TIMELINE

15 Design Days

PLATFORM

Layout: Adobe XD
Implementation: Web Stories (AMP)

YEAR

2019

IMPACT

Highlighting entrenched biases and inequalities, this multimedia story garnered 2.5M global views, sparking conversations across 170 countries.

ROLE

Lead Designer

Motion Design

Ideation
Layout

Visual Storytelling

STATUS

Launched
Globally

TEAM

Lead Developer

Content Producer

Project Manager

Fact Checker

Social Media

TIMELINE

15 Design Days

PLATFORM

Layout: Adobe XD
Implementation: Web Stories (AMP)

YEAR

2019

ROLE

Lead Designer
Motion Design
Ideation
Layout
Visual Storytelling

TEAM

Lead Developer
Content Producer
Project Manager
Fact Checker
Social Media

STATUS

Launched Globally

2019

YEAR

PLATFORM

Layout: Adobe XD
Implementation: Web Stories (AMP)

TIMELINE

15 Design Days

Background

Entrenched Biases Persist: UNDP's latest Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) reveals no progress in the last decade. Almost 90% of men and women worldwide still hold biases against women, with half believing men are better political leaders and 40% preferring male business executives. Despite gains in recent decades, no country has achieved true gender equality, particularly in areas challenging traditional power dynamics.

Stakeholder Quotes

“The wave of demonstrations sweeping across countries is a clear sign that, for all our progress, something in our globalized society is not working.”

Achim Steiner, Administrator, UNDP

"Access to health, education, new technologies, green areas and spaces free of pollution are increasingly an indicator of the way in which opportunities and well-being are distributed among groups of people and even between countries.” Michelle Bachelet Jeria, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

"Access to health, education, new technologies, green areas and spaces free of pollution are increasingly an indicator of the way in which opportunities and well-being are distributed among groups of people and even between countries.”
Michelle Bachelet Jeria, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

“This Report asks what forms of inequality matter and what drives them, recognizing that pernicious inequalities are generally better thought of as a symptom of broader problems in a society and economy.”
Pedro Conceição, Director
Human Development Report Office

Insights & Findings

1.
Starting a Conversation: The story aimed to present gender-based inequalities in an accessible, thought-provoking way

2.
Data Highlights: Women remain severely underrepresented in leadership; only 10% of heads of state or government are women—a figure unchanged since 1995.

3.
Role of Policy: Government actions, such as parental leave policies, show potential to shift gender norms.

3.
Role of the Government: Governments have a crucial role in shifting gender social norms. For instance, parental leave policies have changed perceptions around care work responsibilities

4.
Signs of Progress: 27 of 38 surveyed countries reported increases in individuals with no biases in any indicator.

The Challenge

How can we tell a compelling visual story about gender biases and inequalities without oversimplifying or distorting the message?

Key Message

UNDP's 2019 Human Development Report spotlights a critical truth: the gender gap is, at its core, a power gap. The story emphasized that societal progress is impossible when half the population is denied equal opportunities and freedoms.

Content Strategy

Platform Choice: The Web Stories (AMP) format was used to showcase an innovative, user-friendly narrative style.

Content Structuring: The story was divided into concise, impactful frames to balance clarity and depth without overwhelming the audience.

Design Approach

Concept: A black-and-white visual style represented resistance to bias, empowerment over despair, and determination to fight discrimination.

Execution: Responsive layouts, animations, photography, and illustrations worked together to bring this message to life, maintaining focus on the content’s power.

Tools: Layouts were prototyped in Adobe XD, animations crafted in Adobe After Effects, and the final story optimized within the AMP platform.

ADOBE XD EXPLORATIONS

The content took center stage, with simple, unbiased animations and a black-and-white color scheme to keep the focus on the story and its message.

ANIMATION EXPLORATIONS IN ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS

The content took center stage, with simple, unbiased animations and a black-and-white color scheme to keep the focus on the story and its message.

Mobile screens on Web Stories (AMP)

Desktop screens on Web Stories (AMP)

View Story

TAKEAWAYS

Engagement Success: 2.5M views demonstrated the global resonance of the story.

Innovative Execution: The use of Web Stories (AMP) set a new standard for digital storytelling within the UN system. The story received a mention in the UN Design News letter release by United Nations, Geneva.

Impactful Narrative: A combination of design, data, and storytelling created a compelling message, sparking meaningful dialogue around entrenched gender biases.

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