How I Understand Inclusive Design : Measuring Accessible Design

There are two primary strategies for tackling design problems. Accessible design and inclusive design. Both strategies allow UI/UX designers to build mobile applications, websites, or SaaS platforms that serve the broadest range of users

People that we should care when we design

Inclusive Design

Inclusive design is the practice of creating products and digital experiences that are accessible to as many people as possible, including (but not limited to) the disability community. Its goal is to minimize the difficulty of using a product, irrespective of users’ abilities or situational constraints.

This approach takes into account various factors such as
1. Age
2. Economic status
3. Geographic location
4. Language
5. Race and more

Ensuring that the product is accessible and usable by everyone & no one left behind or being underestimated.

Microsoft Accessible Design Toolkit

Microsoft illustrates this concept using three personas to describe types of disability and difficulty.

1. Permanent
   Someone with an ability-limiting condition that is lasting and is unlikely to change (e.g. amputee, blind or deaf person)
2. Temporary
   Someone with an ability-limiting condition that will resolve with time (e.g. broken arm, tonsillitis, or even severe sunburn)
3. Situational
   Someone with an ability-limiting condition that is dependent on specific situations (e.g. at a music concert where it’s very loud and hard to hear anything, or a new parent with an infant).

Let’s Take a look at some examples

Medium Ensuring Accessiblity In Design

Medium
Offers the feature to listen to a story on its platform that is helpful for people who might find it hard to read long passages either due to vision difficulties or simply to rest their eyes after a long day staring at the screen!

YouTube Video Experience Offering Subtitle/Captions

YouTube
Offers subtitling options for users who are hard of hearing but also for any user who needs them at the time (e.g., in a loud environment or for non-native speakers).

Uber Safety Preferences

Uber
Recognizing the dangers that women and non-binary people can face during trips, especially when alone, Uber has recently offered both women and non-binary drivers the opportunity to only receive pick-up requests from other women.

The features comes after several sexual assault reports from both drivers and riders. Of those, 89% of the reports came from women and female-identifying individuals and 9% were from men and male-identifying individuals.

Key Principles For Inclusive Design

Design for all is most closely related to inclusive design. Inclusive design doesn’t require designers to stick to a single design. Designers can implement multiple variations of the design to cater to different
user segments. Here’s few inclusive design principles to follow,

Fitbit is a fitness tracking device that has been designed with age-inclusivity in mind. The device is simple and easy to use, with a large display that is easy to read; with features such as heart rate monitoring and step tracking, which are useful for people of all ages.

Solve for one, extend to many
Everyone has abilities and limits. Creating products for people with permanent disabilities creates results that benefit everyone.

Learn from diversity
Inclusive Design puts people in the center throughout the process. Their fresh, diverse perspectives are the key to true insight.

Recognize exclusion
We acknowledge bias and recognize exclusions that happen because of mismatches between people and experience.

Verdict : The Future of Design

If you create products for people, then you’re aware of the fact that people are complex. One of the most important skills you can have as a designer or stakeholder in making design decisions is to create digital experiences and products that feel as simple and seamless as possible regardless of complexity.

To do that successfully, you’ll need to consider how people differ, recognize that we’re inherently biased, and do your best to ensure your biases aren’t influencing your solutions. Involving a variety of people in your design process, both internally — with the team members you hire and work with, and externally — with the participants you recruit for research, will help ensure you’re not building products for only one type of individual.

Resources
https://inclusive.microsoft.design/#InclusiveDesignPrinciples
https://www.uber.com/ca/en/safety/womens-safety/
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/inclusive-design
https://about.google/belonging/in-products/