Inclusive Design 2023
ENNOstudio's Inclusive Design Principles
There are many definitions and concepts – such as accessible, ethical, sustainable and universal design – that intersect with ENNOstudio’s definition of inclusive design. In our design journey, we are continuously working on and reworking our very own inclusive definition. We try always to make it malleable enough to apply to the current and future business reality of our agency.
One way to understand inclusion is to focus on its opposite: exclusion, which can be physical, like segregation, or mental, like stigmatization. We could simply just stop at that point and make sure our designs do not exclude or undermine anyone. However, to be thorough in our approach, we need to create a consistent baseline in the form of some ground rules, some guidelines to accompany our daily design ops, principles upon which we can build and go further beyond just stopping, to actually setting the diversity agenda.
One further point is that exclusion in many cases means lack of access. So a key word in any action on diversity is accessibility – for our business purposes, the design of products that are accessible. In a nutshell, we design products for all and not the few, ones that make all feel included. And test them and test them and test them.
The starting point for ENNOstudio’s output is our principles of inclusive design, which are as follows:
1. Diversity: Acknowledge difference and avoid personal biases
It goes without saying that just as there is diversity in the wider world, it is also in the business world. Good design can only be so if the item, in our case a commercial product, impacts as many people as possible in terms of their business needs and wishes. It is productive to marry this way of thinking to our creative output. Especially in the research phase where it is so important to acknowledge and include as many different users as possible.
Without doubt it is also important to avoid biases – be they public or personal, cultural or commercial – as even small and quick projects can bring positive attention to your brand, or vice versa should you not avoid biases. One way to accomplish this is to include a cross-section of the user community in your research and testing phase. Luckily, there are plenty of prototyping tools to help turn your static designs into clickable prototypes based on a more widespread input – almost all of them will help you build diversity into your creations.
2. Universality: Design for as many people as possible
This point relates directly to universal design, which we incorporate in our ways of working at ENNOstudio. We seek to offer the same means of engagement to all users – identical whenever possible, equivalent when not. The object is to make the design flexible enough to include all types of user. The more universal you become, the more inclusive you become, the more wider your appeal. By designing to universal ability, shape, size and posture, for example, by introducing possibilities such as these into our work for companies, we grow their brand value, and bring more eyes to it. Not least because we have helped companies improve the experience for a wider pool of potential users.
There are even more rewards from universal design when approached in this manner. For instance, here we can also encounter the curb cut effect, where disability-friendly designs end up being used by a wider group than they were originally targeted at. For example, texting was introduced to help deaf people but is now in common use by all. Each attempted universal design, in this way, improves your diversity journey and, hence, your product or service.
It’s a positive snowball and it relies on two solid principles:
2.1 Equitability
Equitable use is the first principle because it is the standard driver for accessibility. When you apply the equitable principle, you must consider all potential users and not just targeted ones. The principle encourages you to think about users who have varying mental and physical abilities.
2.2 Flexibility
No one person is the same as another, even twins have their own personalities. Flexibility encourages adaptable and customizable design based on the patterns, tastes and preferences of as many as possible. Yes, no design will reach all users but every design that considers itself inclusive should attempt to. Flexible designs allow more people to relate to them and, thereby, allow them to feel extra engaged and in charge of their user experiences.
3. Accessibility: Design accessible interfaces
Accessibility is about removing walls in a virtual sense that are often a spillover from real life. The barriers to engagement take on any number of forms, including cognitive or physical. According to UX planet, there are six principles of accessible interface design and they cover how to approach texts, media, navigation and links, colors and assistive technologies.
To employ them requires design thinking that creates a typical functional link to a product or service, but is also versatile enough to traverse as many boundaries as possible beyond standard user interaction, including aesthetic ones. ENNOstudio’s core working philosophy is to design versatile so that products are reachable for all, while still bearing in mind that items have to contribute to profit and growth
Accessibility in pictures – Visual by ENNOstudio
To employ them requires design thinking that creates a typical functional link to a product or service, but is also versatile enough to traverse as many boundaries as possible beyond standard user interaction, including aesthetic ones. ENNOstudio’s core working philosophy is to design versatile so that products are reachable for all, while still bearing in mind that items have to contribute to profit and growth.
“Accessibility will bring you competitiveness with 98% of the internet failing to meet the minimum standards of accessibility”*
*Human centred design vs inclusive design? by Krissie Barrick, 2019
4. Equality: Provide equivalent experiences to all users
Equality is essentially the same level of privacy, security, and safety for all users, with a common level of engagement. The issue isn’t the food on the table, it’s about the same share of the food for all and utensils that allow all to enjoy the meal in the same way as every party at the table. If we want truly great outcomes like this, if we want to push the equality envelope, then not only does the product design have to be comparable for all but the experience too. It should remain so into the future as well.
Those are ENNOstudio’s principles of inclusion. They help us create a clear narrative with regard to inclusive design – from the user end it should be simple to use and intuitive, information should be easily understood, and there has to be a climate in which there is learning from mistakes.
It’s a holistic method, trying to deliver authentic user experiences that represent the user and not the designer.
However, we could not reach our aims in terms of inclusive design without testing.
It works best when aligned to WCAG 2.1, which is a set of guidelines to foster accessibility crafted by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)). These revolve around four key aspects linked to ENNOstudio’s inclusion narrative:
To employ them requires design thinking that creates a typical functional link to a product or service, but is also versatile enough to traverse as many boundaries as possible beyond standard user interaction, including aesthetic ones. ENNOstudio’s core working philosophy is to design versatile so that products are reachable for all, while still bearing in mind that items have to contribute to profit and growth
Perceptible
Information and components of the user interface must be presented to users in such a way that they can be comprehended.
Operable
Information and operation of the user interface must be clearly understood.
Robust
Content must be robust enough to be reliably interpreted by a wide range of user agents, including assistive technologies.
In conclusion, inclusiveness is the future standard. Some are struggling to keep up, others are ahead of the curve. Like ENNOstudio, these take a human-centric approach to areas that need attention within the diversity context – gender, demographics, education, finance, technology, healthcare and ability. We address points of exclusion like these by integrating solutions into our products informed by engagement with these various segments.
“It’s not just about the what, but also the who and the how?”*
Business always needs successful outcomes. Designing for business while being aware of inclusivity issues works on two fronts: another voice is added to the diversity agenda and you enhance your competitiveness in the market.
We hope you enjoy our insights into inclusive design.
If you’d like to learn more about how inclusive design could impact your business and your relationship with your customers, write to us.
We are a design and innovation studio creating engaging, accessible digital experiences for everyone. Our team of product designers and strategic consultants combine beautiful design and creative strategies to build and promote user interfaces that make a real difference to people’s lives.
