From Standards to Innovation: Why Inclusive Design Wins
Summary
What if your next big innovation is waiting at the edges of your service? Many of the world’s most transformative ideas- From the modern internet, to the billion dollar audiobook market emerged when designers looked beyond the “average” to solve real challenges for people often left out of traditional design thinking. By addressing these edge cases, they created solutions that were more flexible, adaptive and usable for everyone. In this session, you’ll learn: - Why inclusivity unlocks innovation in products and services - The hidden ROI of inclusive design - How to avoid the costly risks of designing only for the averages - How to champion inclusive practices that make your services more resilient and future ready.
Key Insights
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One in four people in the US have a disability, representing a large and often overlooked market segment.
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Disability exists on a spectrum including temporary and situational disabilities, not as a binary condition.
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Designing for the 'average' user results in products that fit no one well, as shown by the US Air Force cockpit example.
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Inclusive design that starts from the edges unlocks innovation benefiting all users.
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Many innovations, such as the typewriter and audiobooks, were originally developed to meet accessibility needs.
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Inclusive tools and processes reduce the need for costly accommodations and extra employee support.
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Service designers are uniquely positioned to lead accessibility initiatives because of their role in creating workflows and managing change.
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Training AI on existing data risks perpetuating past biases and limits innovation unless inclusive design data is used.
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Legal compliance is easier and more effective when accessibility is integrated throughout design, not treated as an afterthought.
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Effective inclusive design requires aligning cross-functional teams via accessible tooling and shared communication practices.
Notable Quotes
"If we design for the edges, we get the middle for free."
"Designing for the average means designing for nobody."
"Disability is less about a person and more about a person’s interaction with the environment and processes."
"An inaccessible tool costs more than just the person with accessibility needs; it costs their friends and family too."
"You cannot design for the middle; instead, you must create experiences that are customizable and adaptable."
"If we make creating inclusive experiences our goal, legal compliance will naturally follow."
"Many new ways of doing things today were originally invented to enable people with disabilities."
"Service designers are best placed to make inclusive design the default, not the exception."
"When we train AI on what we have done in the past, we will just do the same more efficiently, not better."
"If accessibility is buried three levels deep in a checklist, it’s going to get missed."
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