Evaluating Trends Within Inclusive
UX Practices:
Speaking to Everyone
Written By
Art By
Alan Henriquez
Summary
This research evaluates the impact of inclusive design in modern UX practices, focusing on major industry leaders such as Microsoft, Google, Slack, and Adobe. Inclusive design is defined as the creation of products and services that cater to a broad range of users, including those with disabilities or different abilities. By examining industry approaches and strategies, the paper identifies common principles such as recognizing exclusion, learning from diversity, and solving for one while extending to many. Additionally, a case study of a startup's journey in creating an inclusive physical activity app highlights the importance of speaking the user's language, emphasizing the need for readability, contrast, and audio captions. The paper concludes that speaking the user's language is fundamental to inclusive design, enabling designers to create intuitive, accessible, and engaging products that resonate with diverse audiences and lead to long-term success in design and technology industries.
Introduction
Inclusive design plays a pivotal role in modern UX practices, focusing on crafting products and services for a broad range of users, including those with disabilities or varying abilities. According to the British Standards Institute, inclusive design is “the design of mainstream products and/or services that are accessible to, and usable by, as many people as reasonably possible ... without the need for special adaptation or specialized design” (British Standards Institute Staff & British Standards Institution, 1999). This essay evaluates the impact of inclusive design on the development of products, focusing on industry leaders such as Microsoft, Google, Slack, and Adobe. Additionally, a case study examines a physical activity app's journey towards incorporating inclusive design principles.
Background
Inclusive design focuses on tailoring interfaces to diverse user needs, promoting a sense of belonging. This essay examines the trend of inclusive design in the industry through the lens of the UX principle of speaking the user’s language. This involves examining common design strategies of major companies.
Industry Approaches
Microsoft’s inclusive design strategy is based on recognizing exclusion, learning from diversity, and solving for one while extending to many (Canvs Editorial, 2021). Google emphasizes designing products with global accessibility in mind, considering physical and cognitive disabilities and environmental factors. Slack prioritizes the process of arriving at solutions through diverse perspectives (Nolan & Urata, n.d.). Adobe focuses on design systems to address accessibility challenges and enhance user experience (Vizard, 2020).
The following table outlines each company's approach to inclusive design and their key strategies:
Main Strategies
Global accessibility, awareness strategies, inclusion considerations
Main Strategies
Adobe
Design systems, accessibility as a core principle, emphasis on testing and education
Main Strategies
Slack
Diverse perspectives, consideration of human diversity
Main Strategies
Microsoft
Recognizing exclusion, learning from diversity, solving for one while extending to many
Case Study: Inclusive Design in a Fitness App
A case study presents a startup company's journey in creating an inclusive physical activity app, emphasizing the importance of inclusion and accessibility throughout the design process. Participant 4 (P4), the design director and lead UX/UI designer, focuses on user-centered design and continuous improvement. The company's ethos of inclusion and accessibility stems from the CEO's own experiences with color-blindness and challenges with existing app designs.
Initially focusing on gamification, the startup shifted towards inclusive activities that cater to a broad range of users, promoting a universal experience. P4 emphasizes readability, contrast, and audio captions for users with disabilities while also ensuring the app has broad visual representation to appeal to a wide audience.
Evaluation
The case study aligns with Microsoft's strategy of solving for one while extending to many. It demonstrates the balance between designing for a universal experience and tailoring a user's experience with inclusivity. This case study shows that both approaches can coexist, thanks to speaking the user's language and understanding diverse perspectives.
Conclusion
At the core of inclusivity in UX design is the principle of speaking the user's language. This approach enables designers to connect with diverse audiences by using language, imagery, and symbols that align with users' perspectives. The case study and industry practices demonstrate how this principle underpins each of their successful strategies, from recognizing exclusion to fostering user empathy.
By embracing speaking the user's language, companies can create intuitive, accessible, and engaging products that resonate with diverse user groups. This paves the way for long-term success and a more inclusive future in the design and technology industries.
References
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British Standards Institute Staff & British Standards Institution. (1999). Design Management Systems. British Standards Institution.
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Canvs Editorial. (2021, January 17). 3 principles of inclusive design and why it matters. UX Collective. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://uxdesign.cc/3-principles-of-inclusive-design-and-why-it-matters-970b10a17982
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Design is never done. | Designing for Global Accessibility: Part 1. (2018, June 28). Google Design. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://design.google/library/designing-global-accessibility-part-1
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Lamirande, M. (2022, September). Exploring Practices and Understandings of Designing Inclusively. The Open University. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://oro.open.ac.uk/90828/1/Lamirande%202023%20.pdf
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Nolan, N., & Urata, V. (n.d.). Why inclusive design is essential to building a better product • Slack Design. Slack Design. Retrieved April 23, 2024, from https://slack.design/articles/why-inclusive-design-is-essential-to-building-a-better-product/
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Vizard, L. (2020, January 22). Building Accessibility into Your Design System – Part 3. XD Adobe. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/principles/design-systems/accessibility-in-design-systems/