Inclusive design

Microsoft states that "exclusion happens when we solve problems using our own biases." To create a design for a new application, many individuals often generate and evaluate ideas based on their own experience. We all have a tendency to bring assumptions about a situation of which we are not always aware. Our location, culture, education, economic status, and abilities all play a role in how we interpret and interact with information and technology. 

Many common assumptions can easily lead us down the wrong path. Consider the following examples:

• My network speed is the same as everyone else's.
• Everyone has access to a mouse or trackpad to interact with their work system.
• This acronym is common, everyone knows it.
• The meaning of this field is obvious based on the choices from which they need to select.
• The more options we introduce upfront, the more efficient we are because we always have all the information that we need in front of us.
• Videos are an efficient way to reduce the amount of text for all users.
• Graphics and diagrams explain complex findings without having to describe the results.
• A red indicator signals something that is not well while a green indicator shows a positive direction or outcome.

These cases are just a few examples but there are many more, depending on the type of application you want to build and the diversity of the potential users. By making these assumptions, you might not even realize that you exclude a group of individuals.

If you assume that everyone has the same network speed, you might not think twice about loading a page with graphics, media, or complex data tables. The load time would be seconds for some individuals in the western world. However, for individuals in other regions, who may operate with lower bandwidth, seconds could become minutes or longer.

If you assume that everyone has access to a mouse or trackpad, you do not consider the needs of users who rely on a keyboard. These users might not be able to control a mouse because of a permanent disability as a result of paralysis, arthritis, or other chronic disorder.  

So what is the best solution to avoid unconscious bias? Know your users. Do the research and understand who they are, how they work, and what background they bring when they use your application. Consider human diversity as a resource, not a responsibility. You can make design choices that look good and function well for a greater number of people.  

Inclusive design is a methodology that addresses the unique needs, abilities, and drivers of people. The approach moves beyond business and government compliance and includes diversity as an integral part of the process. Inclusive design is not just about accessibility, but also about internationalization, localization, readability, interaction, bias, and environmental impact.

Good design questions

The following categories contain questions that help you build inclusive design into your applications:

• Audience identification
  • Who is my audience?
  • What has observation shown me about my audience?
  • How does my audience want to be addressed?
  • What does my audience want to accomplish?
• Usage 
  • How does my audience use the design in ways I do not expect?
  • Which standards, like WCAG 2.1 or mobile-friendly layouts, are benchmarks for successful and legal design?
• Exclusion 
  • What are the technical or design constraints?
  • What are potential or explicit points?
  • Who do I ask to help identify exclusion?
  • How can I prevent my audience from fostering exclusion?
  • How can I start designing alongside people with diverse needs instead of for them?
• Adoption 
  • How can I make this design more consistent, clear, and easier to adopt?
  • How can I give more control over polarizing preferences such as animations, security, sound effects, scrolling, and timeouts?
• Impact 
  • How does my design measurably improve the experience for people, the planet, and the company?

For more information, see Inclusive design: how to build beyond compliance.

Compliance, accessibility, and inclusive design are all intrinsically connected. Although many organizations often start with compliance requirements, they soon begin to see the benefits of opening up their application to a wider audience.

Compliance requirements are rules that are mandated by law. To adhere to techniques and methods in these laws, you follow the guidelines very closely. However, completely meeting the technical requirements does not always mean that an application is accessible. Accessibility is also about usability. Accessibility asks the question as to whether the application is not only equitable in function but enjoyable as well to those who might have disabilities. As a result, accessibility moves beyond just technical requirements into a much more inclusive experience for individuals with disabilities.  Software companies that embrace this approach can increase their user base by millions, because we know that 15% of the worldwide population has faced some form of disability, or at the least make their current employees much more productive regardless of any impairments that they might face.

Designing your application not just for people with disabilities but with consideration for a much broader, diverse population can make further access and efficiency equal for all your users. With each step outside of your own perspective and by considering the perspective of others, you can meet your compliance guidelines, design for those individuals who have some form of disability, and enhance your application experience for all your potential users.