Something new…

The past week has been an incredible journey for Microsoft. From introducing the Windows Creators Update that will empower everyone to bring their 3D ideas to life to the new Surface Studio, the company has been a ball of excitement.

This week has also been exiting for my personal journey: I’ve decided to join the Inclusive Design effort in Microsoft Office. I’ll be a ‘culture engineer’ helping to lead the shift in culture across the company and creating ways for everyone from new-hires to executives to experience Inclusive Design.

Leaving the engineering team within Microsoft Office was a tough decision. From my first day at Microsoft, the team welcomed me straight from college with open arms and had my back at every turn, even the times when I was doing something a bit crazy!

The goal of Inclusive Design is simple yet powerful, reframe disabilities as opportunities. Whether a person suffers from a visual impairment, learning difference, or any other type of obstacle, we must build solutions to help overcome these types of barriers. These seemingly magical experiences enable every individual to feel empowered and reach their full potential.

Working with the Inclusive Design team at Microsoft will challenge me in ways I cannot even imagine. As an introduction, I participated in a 3-day inclusive design sprint focused on creating experiences for people with visual impairments. This was the first time I deeply empathized with users of different abilities and the impact was incredible. We began the sprint hearing from people with ranges of abilities…

We learned how a bluetooth connected pressure cooker helped one woman who is blind make delicious meals independently.

We learned how assistive voice technologies helped one man with little to no motor skills below his neck travel over 300 miles independently.

We learned how simple writing assistance software helped a young woman unlock her potential and move from special ed classes in high school to a high performing college.

Living in the technology bubble, we often lose sight of how life changing the products we make can be. I deeply believe we must empathize with people of all abilities to build products that are truly life changing.

I am extremely excited to be a part of this journey across Microsoft. I’ll be dropping by to share my learnings along the way, but until then I look forward to new experiences at every turn!