What if you broke your arm while skiing: How to leverage inclusive design to improve your product for everyone

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Raman Rai
Product Manager
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Inclusive Design: Powering Innovation with Accessibility and Diversity

Hello and welcome to our latest post! In honour of the recent Women in Tech Global Conference, we'll be exploring a powerful talk given by Raman Rai, a product manager in artificial intelligence at PWC. Passionate about both technology and inclusion, Raman conducts a deep dive into the world of inclusive design, and why it's critical for successful product development.

What Is Inclusive Design?

Inclusive design is a method of creating products or services that can be used by anyone, regardless of their background or abilities. Unlike a one-size-fits-all approach, it recognises each individual's unique needs and capabilities, enabling improved product accessibility and utility.

Understanding Exclusion

A crucial element of inclusive design is understanding exclusion. By definition, exclusion refers to the act of leaving someone out or not being part of something. To grasp this concept, Raman invites us to think back to our childhood favourite games or activities and ponder who might not be able to participate or engage fully. Hallmark components of childhood, such as engaging with a Playstation one console or even playing a simple board game, can be restrictive for various reasons. The focus of inclusive design is to identify these potential areas of exclusion and eliminate barriers.

Three Forms of Exclusion

Exclusion can take on three main forms: permanent, temporary, or situational. For instance, an individual with one arm experiences permanent exclusion, a woman breaking her arm while skiing goes through temporary exclusion, and a mother holding her baby encounters situational exclusion. All three experience limited mobility at different degrees and times.

Case Study: Designing for Disabilities

You've likely benefited from products originally designed for individuals with disabilities. Features like closed captions, designed for the deaf community, are commonly used by many. Designs addressing permanent needs can often aid those with temporary or situational needs as well. One of the most renowned examples of this is the invention of the typewriter, first built for a blind woman, but today forms the basis of our everyday keyboard use.

The Business Case for Inclusive Design

Aside from the societal benefits, there's a strong business case for inclusive design. A staggering 1 billion people globally have a recognized disability, a statistic from The World Health Organization (WHO). In the UK alone, one in five people fall into this category. Unfortunately, many businesses miss out on a £200 billion market by ignoring the needs of these individuals. A notable 73% of potential customers with disabilities struggle with barriers on websites.

Legal Implications of Exclusion

Brands like Nike, Domino's, Apple, Amazon and Netflix have previously faced lawsuits for non-compliant or inaccessible websites. Under the Equality Act 2010 in the UK, websites must be made accessible to all people with a disability. Similar laws exist in the USA and Europe.

Common Web Accessibility Issues

  1. Low contrast: Text-to-background color contrast should be maximized.
  2. Missing alternative text: Images should carry descriptive alternative text for those using screen readers.
  3. Empty links: Website links should all be functional and navigable.
  4. Missing labels: Items on a website should be properly and clearly labeled.
  5. Missing document language: Documents should always list the language in which they're written.

Tools for Inclusive Design

To aid in upping the accessibility stakes, various tools and guidelines have been developed. These include evaluation tools like WAVE, plugins such as Userway, color contrast checkers, screen readers, and the web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG). Usability testing is also recommended, ideally with a diverse selection of users.

Conclusion:

The journey to ensure product accessibility for all, regardless of individual capabilities or life scenarios, remains ongoing. However, embracing tools and best practices in our design processes can massively improve both customer experiences and bottom lines. As Rai concludes, hardly truer words are spoken in our technologically evolving world: "Accessibility problems of today are the mainstream breakthroughs of tomorrow."

If you'd like to know more about this topic or have any questions, feel free to reach out to Raman Rai on LinkedIn. Let's move towards a more inclusive and accessible world together!


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