A little late, but nevertheless a warm welcome from us: Happy New Year and Bonne Année!
In this series of articles we would like to - as already in 2020 - We would like to present some topics that are important to us, that are also increasingly being discussed in the industry and that are important for product and service development in companies - i.e. for product managers, developers, UX designers and the company itself. And because there's so much text, this time we'd rather break it down into small chunks or articles.
Let's start with an old acquaintance - a Evergreen so to speak:
#1 Inclusive design
As early as 2020, we have already Importance of Inclusive design and the consideration of diversity in design written. Inclusive design is and remains an important topic for product development and therefore also for UX professionals and pretty much every company.
Generally speaking, inclusive design refers to designing products and services in such a way that they are accessible, usable and helpful for all people - regardless of their abilities, limitations and socio-economic background.
The Business Case The benefits of inclusive design are obvious, as it can bring a number of advantages for both the company and its customers, such as increased customer satisfaction and the development of new market segments.
Inclusive design can also lead to cost savings for a company. If a company pays attention to accessibility and usability from the outset, it can avoid costly retrofits or changes after a product has gone to market. A serious negative example of exploding costs due to Subsequent fixing of problems We see this every day in our cities: wheelchair users and mothers with pushchairs who need help getting to the platform because there is still a lack of barrier-free access to the (underground) railway network. This is associated with very costly and lengthy, sometimes almost impossible retrofits for the cities - not to mention the disappointed people who are practically left out in the cold. "You are not disabled, you become disabled" is unfortunately a sentence from the movement that is sad but true.
Inclusive design also means destigmatisation - two best practices
As early as 2004, Alan Cooper wrote in his book "The Inmates are running the asylum" has thought about inclusive design, because his concept of persona development is actually aimed at precisely that. As he later explained in his book "About Face" says: "A primary persona will not be satisfied by a design targeted at any other persona in the set. However, if the primary persona is the target, all other personas will not, at least, be dissatisfied." - i.e. the main design target (the primary persona) should include all other design targets (secondary personas) - i.e. the primary persona should have the greatest possible degree of inclusion.
An illustrative example: If, for example, an underground train travels into a station with level access and exit, the needs of wheelchair users are not taken into account.These could, for example, represent a primary persona / the main design target: Because for them (the wheelchair usersThe underground is usable for people with disabilities, they don't need any help and feel less restricted, and no one else suffers any disadvantages.
Figure 1 Inclusive design best practice: people with disabilities could be primary personas for public transport. Ground-level accessibility is a benefit for everyone. Image by: https://www.bvg.de/de/service-und-kontakt/barrierefrei-unterwegs
Cooper also explicitly states in "About Face" that OXO Good Grips as a good example. OXO household products were originally specially for the needs of users with arthritis designed. The aim was not only to design cooking utensils that were comfortable to hold, but also to set a new aesthetic trend that would not stigmatise the intended user as 'ill' - as other products for people with arthritis did. This unprecedented aesthetic for arthritis-friendly household utensils started a new trend - and was seen as viable and attractive by all potential customers - not just people with arthritis. OXO Good Grips is now one of the market leaders worldwide when it comes to household items.
Figure 2: Inclusive design best practice: The household utensils from OXO Good Grips were primarily developed for people with arthritis - but appeal to both people with and without arthritis.
Companies benefit from inclusive design
To summarise, the business case for inclusive design is clear. It can lead to greater market potential, higher customer satisfaction and loyalty, a better brand reputation as such and cost savings for an organisation. It is a win-win situation for both the company and its customers, as it improves the overall user experience and makes it more accessible for all.
We would like to take a closer look at one topic relating to inclusive design at this point, as this is increasingly being discussed in the industry: Neurodiversity.
Neurodiversity
What is neurodiversity?
When we talk about inclusion, we also have to talk about so-called "neurodiversity". This includes, for example, the autism spectrum, AD(H)S, dyscalculia, dyslexia, etc. The concept of neurodiversity recognises that the human brain can be very diverse in terms of its development and functioning. It therefore questions the concept of "normality". The recognition of neurodiversity advocates that neurological diversity is a manifestation of social diversity and thus turns away from pathologising people's neurological make-up as "sick" - in the sense of "this is not "normal" or "this is a disorder".
Neurodiversity is therefore just as important as other forms of diversity - e.g. cultural, ethnic and gender diversity.
Why is it important to include neurodiversity in product development?ken?
One of the most important reasons in general is that thinking about neurodiversity can help to ensure that products and services are accessible and usable for people with a wide range of cognitive abilities, spectrums and limitations.
Thinking about users with autism, AD(H)S or dyscalculia, for example, can significantly improve the usability of products and services for them - just as we take care to make the design user-friendly and accessible for users with physical and/or sensory limitations and impairments (e.g. visual impairments, etc.). For example, it is known that people with ADHD be visually overwhelmed by long text deserts or too many items on a display and lose focus because everything feels like it's blurring into a mush and /or on the other hand side are quickly bored and underchallenged and can become impatient very quickly. This alone has direct implications for the design.
Furthermore, taking neurodiversity into account in product development can lead to innovative, novel and effective solutions: By using targeted research to take into account the needs of users with a wide range of cognitive abilities and/or limitations, designers can develop innovative, new and effective solutions.This gives the designers many new perspectives and insights that inspire new approaches to problem solving. In addition, designers canThis can lead to the creation of products and services that are more likely to fulfil the needs of a wider range of users, which can lead to the development of new market segments and a higher market share as well as satisfied users and customers.
Inclusive design starts with research
We can only advocate involving as diverse a spectrum of people/users as possible in the research phases time and time again in order to gain as much knowledge as possible. This is the only way to ensure that the needs and perspectives of a wide range of users are taken into account. We always recommend including people with various physical or sensory permanent and/or temporary as well as situational limitations, older people, people with different cultural backgrounds and also specifically neurodiverse people in interviews and usability test sessions. This constant integration of as diverse a range of people as possible in teams and companies can also help to recognise and eliminate implicit stereotypes and prejudices in the design process in the long term, as well as Inclusion by default which leads to fairer and more equitable products and services for all of us.
Conclusion
Considering and recognising neurodiversity as part of social diversity in product design can lead to more inclusive, accessible and innovative products/services. This allows companies to launch products and services that are more likely to fulfil the needs of a wider range of users, which in turn can lead to a higher market share and greater customer satisfaction. Definitely a topic we recommend keeping on your radar.
Announcement:
By the way, in March Katrin Suetterlin within the framework of the Berlin Ladies that UX meetups will be talking about neurodiversity, a topic she has dedicated herself to, among other things. Stay tuned - we will announce it on all channels, it will be exciting.
Read more:
UX Writing for Everyone: What Neurodiversity can Teach us https://medium.com/counterarts/ux-writing-and-neurodiversity-a51a319d8c19
Inclusive design - toolkit and manual https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/design/inclusive http://www.inclusivedesigntoolkit.com/
13 Inspiring Talks on Inclusive Design https://uxmastery.com/15-inspiring-talks-on-inclusive-design/
Header Picture: People illustrations by Storyset
