Designing for Inclusivity
After learning how to design, the next thing I learned was the process of being a designer. This side of design focused on empathy, understanding users, and business. One part of this phase that was alarming to me was Accessibility. According to the CDC 1 in 4 adults in the US have some form of disability as of 2019. And 15% of the world population have a recognized disability. Accessibility was something that gave me a dilemma initially. I often asked myself how do you design for inclusivity and the primary users at the same time. As I continued learning I realized we don’t design for primary users alone. I saw a post on Instagram(@ui_gradient posted by @robertgoesch). He talked about how personas can sometimes be misleading because it focuses solely on the primary users. He noted both managers and students differ in demographics yet share the same end goal when using LinkedIn. He insinuated that similarities help us better understand users better. Thus, making it easier for us as designers to help them reach their goals.
Prior to design, I had little knowledge about accessibility and individuals with disabilities. I never really kept it in mind when doing things. A good part of this was due to the fact accessibility had been so incorporated into the modern world. And most people who don’t pay close attention tend to become oblivious to it in the digital world. For example, most buildings have an automatic door. Both disabled and abled body individuals tend to use them. Another one is Brailled writings in schools/offices indicating room numbers or names.
I attended a virtual meetup about a week ago. The speaker spoke about how new designers tend to jump into the solution without carefully accessing the problem. He made a statement I found interesting “Fall in love with the problem before you start the solution”. While falling in love with a problem doesn’t guarantee an instant solution. It helps identify the source of the problem as a starting point. And this can be easily missed when we blindly focus on the solution. He also stated that Design Thinking can sometimes hamper innovation. He stated, “we sometimes get carried away and assume all problems need to follow the same process”. This is not to say Design Thinking isn’t effective but more about how we can use it wrongly. Design Thinking isn’t meant to be a linear process but rather iterative. Sometimes there can be a back and forth between phases, maybe even skipping a phase or two depending on the type of problem. All problems don’t have to be solved the same way.
To wrap things up, designing for inclusivity should always be at the forefront of our minds. People with disabilities face a different type of problem with digital products. And their problems could be lead to a solution that works for all types of users. An example is a ramp in front of buildings. While this works for people on wheelchairs. It can also work for someone moving things with a dolly/cart, a kid with a skateboard, and someone with bicycles. Yes designing for multiple users despite disabilities and other factors brings about restrictions. But, restrictions sometimes increase creativity. It makes us venture into new scopes and brings about new ideas and methods of solving problems.
