DEI: Get a Clue! Boardgame
Break the silence on hiring bias—where gameplay becomes a journey of insight, empathy, and change.
Objective: By the end of this training, hiring professionals will be able to identify unconscious bias and understand its detrimental effects on both organizations and candidates.
Audience: Recruiters, Hiring Managers, and Interviewers committed to fostering equitable hiring practices.
Purpose
DEI: Get a Clue! Gameboard was created to spotlight unconscious bias during recruitment and hiring by fostering open dialogue and teamwork. It serves as a dynamic breakout session within Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) workshops, empowering recruiters and hiring managers to identify bias while forming real, empathetic connections with the material. Designed for 4–6 players (expandable to 12), the game offers both consumer education and standalone training, using peer observation and interactive play to reveal how bias impacts both companies and candidates.
About the Project
The DEI: Get a Clue! Gameboard engages learners by blending interactive gameplay with thought-provoking discussions on unconscious bias in recruitment and hiring. Leveraging Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction (FPI), this game transforms a challenging subject into an immersive, task-centered experience that feels both accessible and impactful. FPI’s five stages—Task-centered, Activation, Demonstration, Application, and Integration—are seamlessly woven into the game’s design, ensuring that every moment drives home practical learning while sparking genuine curiosity and conversation.
Engagement through Merrill’s FPI
• Task-Centered:
The game is built around realistic hiring scenarios, providing a hands-on, task-centered experience that mirrors everyday recruitment challenges. By working through these tasks, players immediately see the relevance of each lesson to their professional roles.
• Activation:
To ease into the heavy topic of unconscious bias, the game kicks off with a series of Activation Assessment questions that spark open conversation. Players discuss their current hiring practices and interact with game materials—including resumes, candidate cards, and character pieces representing various hiring roles—to set the stage for the learning journey.
• Demonstration:
Once prior knowledge is activated, the instructor demonstrates a standard round of play. This phase highlights how bias influences decision-making as characters move across action spaces, with real-time adjustments (like moving an Interviewer on a Treasure Hunt square) to illustrate the impact of each action. A Q&A session follows to clarify the process, ensuring all players are on the same page.
• Application:
In the heart of the gameplay, players apply what they’ve learned by engaging in Action Space tasks and sorting through candidate selections using forced bias and blind selection methods. As players defend their choices and articulate the implications of their decisions, they solidify their understanding of unconscious bias and its effects.
• Integration:
The final phase encourages players to transfer their newfound insights into their daily work practices. Players integrate the principles of unbiased hiring into a real-world context by choosing the best candidate and defending their decision with specific examples. This reflective discussion cements the game’s learning outcomes, ensuring that the lessons extend beyond the gameboard into everyday professional practice.
Each stage of Merrill’s FPI is carefully calibrated to keep learners engaged, ensuring that every roll of the dice and every debate is a step towards meaningful change in hiring practices.
Design
Technical Writing
Clear, concise instructions were the foundation of the project. Detailed scenarios, card content, and company backstories were meticulously written to guide players through realistic hiring situations. Every narrative element was crafted to inform and engage, ensuring that the game’s messaging on unconscious bias was both accessible and impactful.
Graphics and Design Planning
A comprehensive gameplay flowchart was developed to maintain consistency and continuity throughout play. Early sketches and layouts were created using Adobe Creative Cloud apps, ensuring that each visual element—from character pieces to game board designs—aligned with the overall narrative. This phase was crucial for harmonizing the instructional content with a visually engaging design, setting the stage for an immersive gaming experience.
Digital Prototype
Initial digital prototypes, complete with instructions and graphics, were built to test the game's flow and usability. Iterative feedback during this phase helped refine the layout and design, allowing for adjustments that enhanced the overall user experience. A full digital prototype and mockup were then created to serve as a blueprint for the final product, capturing every detail of the gameplay and instructional design.
Material Creation
Transitioning from digital to physical, a complete set of physical materials was produced as the final prototype. Individual cards were printed and laminated for durability, while the game board was hand-drawn and painted to bring an authentic, tactile quality to the experience. This hands-on approach ensured that every element was designed for visual appeal and practical playability.
Gameplay
Playtesting revealed the game's true impact, forcing the discomfort of unconscious bias into the spotlight while encouraging critical, peer-driven discussions. The dynamic interaction among players showcased the game’s ability to spark meaningful conversation about bias in recruitment, ultimately driving home its educational goals. Positive feedback and insightful critiques during gameplay led to the development of an expansion pack, extending the game to accommodate up to 12 players and enhancing its reach and inclusivity.