The Lack of Diversity in Stock Images Hurts Your eLearning—and What to Do About It

Four years ago this week I was working on a human-trafficking awarenesscourse for public health workers. When I started, I had an inkling that findingimages might be difficult, but I didn’t have time or budget to hire aprofessional photographer. I had no choice but to scour a popular stockphotography website.

Because victims of human trafficking are so varied, I needed stockimages of white, African-American, Hispanic, and Asian men, women, and childrenof all ages. On top of finding the right ethnic, age, and gender mixes, I also neededimages that depicted concepts like poverty, abuse, vulnerability, and isolation—notyour typical business-friendly fare.

Much to my disgust, I had to add stigmatizing keywords to my searches toget anything even remotely resembling a usable image. While disturbing, termslike “black female prostitute,” “illegal farm worker,” or “neglected hungry Asianchildren” simply yielded more images than I could work with.

But don’t get me wrong: the images I found may have had the right ages,genders, and ethnicities, but they were far from ideal. Many were clumsy,overwrought depictions of the sad realities they were intended to portray.Others looked like a high fashion magazine spread with women insexualized poses. Unfortunately, I had no choice but to use clever hacks tomake them work.

The thing that disturbed me the most was that I was trying to portraylife and death experiences of real people—and it was nearly impossible to honorthem with authentic images.

Why authentic images matter foreLearning

My experience with finding appropriate stock imagery for thishuman-trafficking project made one thing crystal clear: Stock images have ahuge diversity problem. It wasn’t just that it was difficult to find the rightphysical attributes; it was that the images I found only depicted one narrowaspect of diversity, and often did so in absurd or disrespectful ways.

In our daily lives we encounter people who have more than justphysical, or primary, expressions of diversity such as gender, ethnicity,physical ability, body type, age, race, and sexual orientation. There are manymore aspects of diversity that encompass socio-economic status, familybackground, and religion—just to name a few (Figure 1).

Dimensions of Diversity 

Figure 1: There are many aspects of diversity

(Based on a model from Boston College’s Diversity & Inclusion definitions)

In a marketplace where you can see literally thousands ofiterations on the same basic concepts, most stock images can’t afford to be toospecific. To be useful, they need to be broadly appealing. This emphasis onbroad appeal leads to literal, often absurd or stereotyped depictions that mayportray one or two primary dimensions of diversity, but tend to dismiss most ofthe secondary (center ring) or tertiary dimensions (outer ring) in the modelabove.

For instance, here’s a sample of the results I found when Isearched three well-known stock-photo websites for the term “diverse workplace”(Figure 2).

Figure 2: A sample of typical results from a search on stock-photowebsites for “diverse workplace”

I was hoping to see images of people of mixed genders, ages,body types, physical abilities, and racial and ethnic backgrounds. Instead whatI found was a sea of model thin, attractive, fashionably dressed 20- to 30-yearolds. Were different genders and racial make-ups shown? Yes. Would I characterizethe results as an authentic portrayal of diversity? Not even close.

As learning practitioners we must understand that stock imagesare one-dimensional and painfully literal because they’re targeted formarketers to use in selling products and services. They’re simply not designedto authentically portray depth or nuance, or to inspire deep thinking.

And yet authentic engagement and inspiration are exactly what eLearningdesigners look to stock images to help them do. We’re reliant on these images becauseeLearning is a visual medium. eLearning is most effective when it establishesthe credibility of its message right up front with a carefully orchestratedbalance of words and visuals that convey ideas, stir emotions, and inspire people to change their behavior or takeaction. When the subtext of the images we use are false or exaggerated, thecourse’s credibility goes right out the window—along with any spark ofemotional connection.

How can we assert our credibility with learners and engage them inmeaningful change by using stock images that are full of clichés andstereotypes?

We’re the problem and the solution

It’s pretty clear that stock imagery’s diversity problemmirrors our society’s larger problems with inclusion. But if we accept thatstock images mirror our social flaws, then we must also accept our collectiveresponsibility in changing what’s reflected.

For eLearning designers, that change starts at home. If wewant to change the picture of diversity, we need to:

• Recognize and acknowledge our own biases
• Use that recognition to turn a critical eye to thevisual language we use in our work and make wiser choices
• Have serious, sometimes uncomfortable conversationswith clients, managers, peers, and stakeholders about the organization’sculture and depictions of diversity. Free stock images can be a great resource,but if an organization truly values diversity they need to step-up with thebudget to help designers depict it more authentically.

We also need to commit to scouring all available resources forbetter, more realistic images—and working creatively with what we find to helpthem connect with learners.

Finding more authentic stock imagery

What follows are a few ideas for tackling these practicalaspects of working with stock images.

Take your own images

When hiring a professional photographer is out-of-scope forthe project, consider taking the photos yourself. This approach may not workfor every eLearning course (or for your work environment), but it can be aneffective and affordable alternative to using stock images. Taking your ownimages also gives you ultimate creative control over settings, subjects, andhow you depict diversity in your workplace. It’s also a great way to buildcredibility and engagement since many people relate to seeing themselves andtheir co-workers portrayed solving real problems, in their actual workenvironment.

Not a picture-taking pro? There are tons of free videos and articles that can walk you through the basicsof taking great photos with your smartphone or digital camera.

One caveat: Before you start snapping photos, check with yourcompany’s legal team and study up on the dos and don’ts of photographing co-workers (or even models) on company property to make sure you can use the images youtake in your course.

Buy from specialized sites

If custom images aren’t an option, there are a growing numberof alternative stock image sites that specialize in avoiding the ridiculous clichés for which moststock photography is, deservedly, mocked (looking at you, Women Laughing Alone with Salad).

• Lean In Collection by Getty Images: Jointlycurated by LeanIn.org and Getty images, this collection focuses on authentic depictions ofwomen and girls.
• Blackstock: Currently in beta, this site’sgoal is to provide images focused on respect and authentic representation ofblack culture. (Editor’s note: Link currently unavailable except to users inthe beta.)
• Blend Images: Founded by a consortium of commercial photographers andmanaged by industry veterans, Blend specializes in ethnically diverse,culturally relevant imagery.
• Offset (by Shutterstock): Offershigh-quality imagery curated from international artists and award-winningphotojournalists.

Avoid literal search terms

Fresh sources for stock imagery are always helpful, butfinding quality images is the product of better searching. Keywords matter, andbeing too literal often leads to literal depictions that are riddled withstereotypes.

For example, think of an accountant. Did you picture a youngwhite man in a business suit using a calculator? Well, that’s what Shutterstockthinks an accountant looks like, as do most stock image sites. And while there’snothing offensive about this portrayal, it’s a stereotype that ignores thereality of women accountants of all ethnicities and ages.

Figure 3: Use different search terms to get more diverse images

In the example on the right in Figure 3, rather than usingliteral keywords, I used keywords that focused on an authentic mood andsetting. The resulting image says, “Here’s a glimpse into the personality andculture of our organization.” The lighting, background, and subject all comeacross as a real and credible glimpse into a modern workplace. There’s nocalculator or spreadsheet in sight to spoon-feed learners.

Adding more authenticity to stock images

You don’t have to use stock images “as is.” You can make themlook different, and more true-to-life.

Remove the background

One of the biggest beefs I have with stock images are thecorny backgrounds. Many eLearning designers don’t have photo-editing knowhow,nor the time to learn sophisticated tools for removing these backgrounds. Oneof the easiest workarounds is to use tools like PowerPoint’s built-in photo editor which wasdesigned to help anyone do lightweight photo editing.

In Figure 4, I removed a photo’s subject from an existingbackground (Before) and placed her into a more appropriate context (After).

Figure 4: Change the background

Removing backgrounds also gives you the flexibility to blendstock images with your own images, as in this example from Tracy Parish (Figure5).

Figure 5: Blend stock images with your own photographs

(Photo of woman and child licensed courtesy of Shutterstock, background photo courtesy ofTracy Parish)

The woman and baby in the foreground are stock images Tracypurchased from Shutterstock, but the office background is a photo of her own workplaceshe snapped with her camera.

PowerPoint is one of my go-to tools, but there are scores offree or low-cost photo editing tools that can give you even more features andgreater control, including PhotoScissors, GIMP, and Pixlr.

Stylize

When a stock image doesn’t fit the tone of the subject matterof your course, the effects can range from mildly distracting to downrightoffensive.

That’s where stylizing an image can help transform it fromdisconnected to evocative. There are countless free mobile apps and onlinetools with image filters for creating special effects like an aged look, orthis shadowy Polaroid effect I used in my human trafficking course (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Use a photo-editing filter or style to change the mood oreffect of a stock photo

De-emphasize

Stuck using an image that’s generic or unrealistic? Tryde-emphasizing it by placing it into a collage of images (Figure 7).

Figure 7: You can de-emphasize generic images by putting them intoa collage

(Nurse photo licensed from Shutterstock, newborn and hospital exterior images from Morguefile, IV and nursing staff images from Dollarphotoclub)

Not only are image collages are a great visual storytellingdevice, they can also help you blend images that are more literal with onesthat are more allegorical.

Alternatives to stock images

You aren’t limited to stock photos. Here are some otherchoices.

Use illustrations

Many organizations are reluctant to use illustrations—particularlycharacter illustrations—because they fear the results will look childish. Butillustrations can offer a visual design trifecta that’s hard to beat: mood,personality, and cross-cultural appeal. Much like photos of people, characterillustrations convey mood based on style, so the trick with making them work isto choose a style that’s suitable for your material and the intended audience.

In Figure 8, the styling of the patient (Before) is too quaintfor the subject matter and the character is clearly a young, white female. Byswitching to a simpler, hand-drawn style (After), this illustration offers amore serious take with an ageless, cross-cultural appeal since the subjects’ages and ethnicities are more open to interpretation.

Figure 8: Use hand-drawn style for mature, inclusive illustrations

Use icons

Icons are simple symbols or pictograms that are representativeof concepts like these fire-safety icons pictured in Figure 9. Icons can be anefficient way to convey key ideas without detracting from the content.

Figure 9: Icons convey ideas or concepts, without taking away fromthe content

(Image comp courtesy of Dreamstime)

Most stock images sites sell themed sets of vector images that you can easily scale without a loss of quality, but youmay need some photo-editing skills and software to break out the specific iconsyou need for your course. Another option is to create your own icons in PowerPoint just bydrawing and grouping simple shapes. This gives you a lot of creative control,but does take some time to execute.

When using icons, keep the focus on your course content by:

• Choosing icons that are of the same basic style andcolor palette
• Only using icons where they can effectively support thecontent. If the subject matter is complicated because it’s nuanced, using anicon may not resonate with learners.

Call to action

Most of us don’t have the luxury of dismissing stock imagesfrom our design repertoire. For better or worse, workplace eLearning is heavilyreliant upon stock-image-based designs.

The lack of diversity in stock photography isn’t just an imageproblem or a business problem; it’s a cultural problem. If we want to play somesmall part in addressing this cultural problem, we need to help people thinkdifferently, and one of the biggest ways to do that is to change the visuals we’reusing so they better reflect the diverse lives we live.