Inclusive Design — best for everyone
I was selfish. When I heard that Microsoft will focus on “inclusive design” with their software and hardware, my first thought was: “What about the rest of us?”. Of course it’s extremely important to serve the needs of people with disabilities. But to concentrate on inclusiveness when designing beautiful and functional user interfaces? To start with that? I was not convinced. My first thought was it will hurt the overall user experience (UX). One should design for majority, right? I don’t need accessibility. Most of us don’t. Apparently, I was wrong.
The definition of inclusive design from Microsoft Design team initially didn’t dispel my doubts, however:
Inclusive design has a strong heritage in accessibility. We define inclusive design as a set of practices that can be applied to any existing design process. Inclusive is how we design. It’s our tools and methods. In comparison, accessibility offer ways to improve access to what is already designed.
A curb cut is still a curb. The cut makes the curb more accessible. Inclusive design gives us ways to design for ever-changing human motivations and needs. And design systems that can adapt to fit those diverse needs.
Accessibility. Suiting everyone’s needs. It all sounded like the lowest common denominator approach. And I didn’t like it. How you want to design best interfaces and products (because that’s the goal, right?) with such limiting mindset? Shouldn’t one focus on what’s best for majority and not on what’s best small percentage of users with different needs? And here I was wrong, assuming than:
- inclusive design will hurt UX for majority of users,
- disability is a (permanent) personal health condition,
- most of us don’t need inclusive design.
First of all, there is no such thing as the average user. If we start our design process narrow-minded, concentrating on familiar demographics, regions, personal abilities or languages, we will end up with a product of limited application. It will be bad for users, but also bad for us — product makers. Designing inclusively lets us to reach much broader audience with things we create. Inclusive design helps improve customer satisfaction. It’s pure profit — for both sides.
Second, I had to change my understanding of what disability is. Old definition concentrates on biological or mental part of this problem, describing it as a health condition. Inclusive design approach brings us much broader meaning of disability. “Disability is designed”. It’s not a personal attribute or health condition, it’s a mismatch in human interaction with other humans or environment. If we think about it that way, disability is not a state nor property. It’s more like situation.
We all can be considered disabled in some scenarios. When driving a car, touch interaction is impaired. Everyone can benefit from inclusive voice-control (assistants like Cortana or Siri for example). Having a newborn on your hands? You’re limited to one hand for interaction with a smartphone. You are disabled. Temporarily. My favorite example are curb cuts for easier and safer crossing the street on a wheelchair. It is mainly for people with permanent disabilities and can seem like a significant design constraint, but… it actually also helps people with strollers, kids on a bicycles or can save you from injury. Inclusive design is simply better design.
In the end, I’m convinced. Inclusive mindset is how we should start our designing process. To build better products. Better for everyone.
