1. Recognize exclusion.
2. Broaden perspectives and build empathy.
3. Bring diversity into teams and processes.
4. Solve inclusively for one, extend to many.
Kat herself describes these principles of inclusive design superbly in this brief video, from an O’Reilly design conference in March 2017.
For day 10 of 15 of inclusive design, I’ll share a story about making an app accessible to visually impaired users — which then benefits all users.
About this Inclusive Design series —In 6 days I’ll give a talk on inclusive design at WordCamp Phoenix 2018. Leading up to the conference I’m publishing notes on voices, stories, products, and other resources: everything I’m learning about this emerging practice. This is day 9 of 15. Read more about the series.
Adopting inclusive design isn’t just about being a good person. It’s a solid foundation for good business — focused on solving real needs for real people.
We’re committed to inclusive design and accessible services — using new technology to make banking easier for you. — “Barclays Access” statement
Accessible banking used to mean statements in large print. Now it involves fingerprints, face recognition and hi-vis debit cards. #Accessibility isn't just about people with disabilities- it's about all of us. Check out our article with @guardian for more https://t.co/cLcA07OtGD
The full case study is in The Guardian — Barclays Bank learned that embracing inclusive design, starting with accessibility, creates a better solution for all their customers. It’s a commercial opportunity when meeting a real need — not an expensive compliance issue.
A few screenshots from the article…
“Accessibility is no longer for disabled people, but for all of us.”
“This could be useful for a lot of people.”
“The bank discovered a broader demand.” Solve for one, extend to many.
It’s not about “extra work to help that group over there.”
Today, I manage all my financial affairs by smartphone,” she says. “It has genuinely transformed my life, cutting out all those frustrating trips to the bank.” — June Maylin (a blind customer of the bank).
June’s story provides an insight into how the technologies designed to make banking easier for everyone can be particularly effective for people with disabilities, and are steadily giving people much more control over their money. Even small, relatively low-tech initiatives can make a big difference.
By the way, I love this aspiration for leadership in this emerging practice on the Barclays Access Twitter profile: “One of our ambitions is to become the most accessible & inclusive FTSE org. Tweets about accessibility & disability issues.”
Small changes make a big impact, and inclusive design can have a major impact on revenue and business success by solving for one and extending to many.
For day 9 of inclusive design, we’ll review the principles discussed so far: 1/ Start with exclusion, 2/ Broaden your perspective to gain empathy, 3/ Bring diversity into teams and processes and 4/ Solve inclusively for one, extend to many.
About this Inclusive Design series —In 1 week I’ll give a talk on inclusive design at WordCamp Phoenix 2018. Leading up to the conference I’m publishing notes on voices, stories, products, and other resources: everything I’m learning about this emerging practice. This is day 8 of 15. Read more about the series.
The Sensible Leader 