Roya Ramezani
Roya Ramezani | |
|---|---|
| Born | Northern Iran |
| Occupation(s) | Product designer, women's rights advocate |
| Known for | Advocacy for women's rights, design of a keyboard to amplify female voices in tech, #MeToo art installation |
Roya Ramezani () is a product designer from Iran and an advocate for women's rights. In 2017, she was honored as part of the BBC's 100 Women initiative.
Career
Originally from Northern Iran and raised in Tehran, Ramezani relocated to Toronto, Canada, to reunite with family and further her education. Her academic journey included studies at various institutions such as York University and the School of Visual Arts located in New York City. During an internship at Google in Silicon Valley, she noticed how gender influenced women's engagement in meetings, which became the foundation for her thesis titled "Exponent: Amplifying the Female Voices in Tech Discourse" at SVA.
Inspired by the design of the Hansen Writing Ball, she created a keyboard aimed at empowering women by promoting assertive communication. This device featured smaller keys and incorporated full-word shortcuts like "claim," "disagree," and "insist." Following this, she joined the innovation team at JPMorgan's San Francisco branch, concentrating on technology-enhanced financial services.
Ramezani earned a spot on the BBC's 100 Women list in 2017. She delivered a presentation at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, addressing obstacles women encounter in tech development fields such as wearable devices and augmented reality. Her efforts have been acknowledged by leadership at JPMorgan.
In addition, Ramezani designed a significant art installation in Palo Alto, California, which debuted on October 5, 2017—the same day that allegations against Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct allegations became public. The piece prominently displayed the hashtag "#Me Too", a term originally introduced by activist Tarana Burke. Ramezani has shared that her own experience with sexual assault during her university years was a driving force behind this work. The hashtag later surged in popularity after actress Alyssa Milano applied it to highlight the Weinstein case.