97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know

Chapter 23. Inclusive Design Creates Products that Work for Everyone

Christopher S. LaRoche

Inclusive design is a methodology that requires including the full range of human diversity in all aspects and differentiations. It is the natural evolution and progression of both accessibility and universal design. Accessibility focuses on remediation of an application that creates a situation in which there is a perceived “mismatch” between the human interacting and the technology being used. Universal design emerges from physical and architectural environments, where the goal is creating a product for which one size fits all. Inclusive design recognizes that all humans have unique needs and qualities and formalizes creating designs that work for each individual through technological flexibility, so the product or application will be usable by everyone. This methodology focuses on digital environments, as they are more flexible than physical spaces.

The requirements of inclusive design avoid the exclusion of populations that is often accepted within technology and digital realms. For example, the discriminatory 80/20 rule is often used when creating software that justifies excluding part of the population. Using inclusive design in creating digital products results in a one-size-fits-one option for all that use the product.

The concepts of inclusive design were created by Jutta Treviranus, ...