Inclusive Platform Design

Last registered on April 22, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Inclusive Platform Design
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015853
Initial registration date
April 21, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
April 22, 2025, 12:31 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Madhav Kumar
Affiliation
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Ashudeep Singh
PI Affiliation
PI Name
Pedro Silva
PI Affiliation
Pinterest
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2023-03-28
End date
2023-04-24
Keywords
Other
Additional Keywords
online behavior, digital consumption, platform design, recommendation systems
JEL code(s)
D22, J15, D83, C93, L86, L25
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines whether online platforms can enhance representation without affecting business performance. Using a large-scale field experiment on a major visual discovery platform, we randomly assign users to see either standard content recommendations or a more balanced representation of skin tones in suggested content. We analyze how this change affects various engagement metrics, including overall platform activity and interaction with diverse content. We also explore how different user segments respond to more inclusive content and whether these effects persist over time. Finally, we test if our approach extends to other visual attributes beyond skin tone to assess the broader applicability of inclusive design strategies.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Kumar, Madhav, Pedro Silva and Ashudeep Singh. 2025. "Inclusive Platform Design." AEA RCT Registry. April 22. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15853-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2023-03-28
Intervention End Date
2023-04-24

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Engagement on the platform, as measured by content items saved by each user in the experiment
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Users on the platform are randomly assigned to receive either status quo recommendations or recommendations that are more balanced in terms of the skin tone of people depicted in the content. Users are allocated to one of the conditions for 28 days, and they remain in the same condition throughout the experiment.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Platform's internal computerized experimentation software. The software randomizes individual users to different experimental conditions, and detailed logging ensures that individuals remain in the same experimental condition throughout the experiment.
Randomization Unit
Individual users of the platform
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Not clustered. 640,000 individual users.
Sample size: planned number of observations
640,000 individual users.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Approx. 320,000 users in treatment (50%)
Approx. 320,000 users in control (50%)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials