Adobe has published a new Emoji Diversity and Inclusion Report tracking how consumers feel about the representation of emoji characters.
According to the report, 83% of respondents that Adobe surveyed said that emoji characters should continue to strive for more inclusive representation. Just about half said they felt their identity was adequately reflected in current emoji characters. Only 37% of users with a disability or impairment said they felt represented.
The survey also found that the majority of emoji users believe that the characters are an important communication tool for creating unity, respect and understanding of one another.
As far as solutions, 78% of respondents said they believed more customization options could address gaps in emoji inclusion. Those options could include other hair styles and colors, accessories, body type, and eye color options.
Credit: Unicode Consortium
According to the report, 83% of respondents that Adobe surveyed said that emoji characters should continue to strive for more inclusive representation. Just about half said they felt their identity was adequately reflected in current emoji characters. Only 37% of users with a disability or impairment said they felt represented.
The survey also found that the majority of emoji users believe that the characters are an important communication tool for creating unity, respect and understanding of one another.
As far as solutions, 78% of respondents said they believed more customization options could address gaps in emoji inclusion. Those options could include other hair styles and colors, accessories, body type, and eye color options.
Little did you know you were speaking Japanese when sending out texts and emails that contain those little smiley faces. Emoji is actually a Japanese word that means “picture characters.”
She brought diverse skin tones emoji to the iPhone. Now she s suing Apple
Reed Albergotti, The Washington Post
March 10, 2021
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Katrina Parrott, founder of iDiversicons, is shown with her app s emoji on Feb. 23, 2021 in Houston.Photo for The Washington Post by May-Ying Lam
For Katrina Parrott, being invited to present her idea to Apple at its campus in Cupertino, Calif., felt like a dream. Less than a year earlier, she had been laid off from her job with NASA in Texas. Now, she was discussing partnering with the iPhone maker on an idea she had pioneered: emoji with different skin-tone options.
Apple’s new $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative aims to help the Black community. But it was too late for Katrina Parrott, a Black woman who helped Apple invent diverse skin tone emojis, before the iPhone maker came out with its own designs.