Understand inclusive product design
What is inclusive design?
Inclusive design is an approach to creating solutions in an all-embracing manner to deliver an experience that has mainstream appeal. The result of seeing the world through diverse minds is the creation of more inclusive products that remove barriers and inspire innovation.
Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Microsoft Chief Accessibility Officer, leads our efforts to drive great products, services, and websites that empower people with disabilities. Jenny, who began losing her hearing aged five, shares that, "Disability isn't just my strength. It is our strength. By having people with disabilities at the core of Microsoft, we can and we will do amazing things."
This vantage point enables Microsoft to improve products, features, and accessibility for a wide range of abilities while driving innovation. Not only is this an exciting area for innovation, but it can also drive incredible impact.
Disabilities encompass a range of experiences that apply to all of us at various points in our lives. A curb cut provides an excellent example of how design can help everyone. On an elevated curb, the wedge cut-out was originally created to make streets accessible to wheelchair users. But in the modern world, this design helps everyone. Whether you're pushing a stroller, have mobility issues, are carrying heavy objects, or are in a myriad of other situations, the curb cut is useful. At this point, the design becomes "normal" in our daily experiences.
As our CEO Satya Nadella says, "The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it." Long term, we believe that designing with, and for, people with disabilities will lead to innovations in ubiquitous inclusive computing. Today it's about ensuring that accessibility is woven into the fabric of how we design and build. Accessibility isn't optional.
Inclusive design and accessibility
Inclusive design is for those who want to make great products for the highest number of people, defined as a design methodology that enables and draws on a full range of human diversity. The foundational belief explains that, "Exclusion happens when we solve problems using our own biases. As Microsoft designers, we seek out those exclusions and use them as opportunities to create new ideas and inclusive design."
As stated in our Inclusive Microsoft Design document: "Designing inclusively doesn't mean you're making one thing for all people. You're designing a diversity of ways for everyone to participate in an experience with a sense of belonging. Many people are unable to participate in aspects of society, both physical and digital. Understanding why and how people are excluded gives us actionable steps to take towards inclusive design."
Understanding the characteristics between inclusive design and accessibility brings vital insight to this topic. Accessibility is defined as:
- The qualities that make an experience open to all.
- A professional discipline aimed at achieving number 1. An important distinction is that accessibility is an attribute, while inclusive design is a method.
Inclusive design focuses on the tangible, the measurable, and being able to define items objectively. Following globally accepted guidelines can ensure a foundational understanding of critical concepts for accessibility standards. The next step in this journey is to understand the less tangible—but equally important—guidance for inclusive design. The goal is to have inclusive design and accessibility work in harmony to create experiences that are adaptable and useful to all. When following inclusive practices, the product is not guaranteed to meet all accessibility standards.
Ultimately the goal is to design and deliver products that are usable (accessible) and open to all (inclusive). This means including and learning from people with a range of perspectives. By recognizing exclusion, learning from diversity, and solving for one to extend to many, you can shift your design thinking toward universal solutions.