The Industrial Revolution paved the way for mass production, shaping much of how we live today. However, the one-size-fits-all model of design is outdated.

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Today, I want to explore how designing inclusively can create more conscious solutions. Integrating inclusion into our creative processes acts as a catalyst for innovation.

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Empathy and Privilege: A Personal Experience

This past weekend, I experienced empathy like never before. I realized how privileged I am and how much our world is designed for people like me. One of my best friends, Beto, has limited arm mobility. His left arm only reaches to his elbow. Despite what you might assume, Beto does everything I do—just in his own way. I’ve watched him tie his shoes and do push-ups. But this weekend, I noticed something: Beto wasn’t considered in the design of basic tasks, like washing dishes.

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I felt guilty for assuming he didn’t need help. He never once complained about his condition. I even forgot that he had limited mobility. But in that moment, I realized how many times Beto has to work twice as hard just to do things that come easily to me.

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Inclusion: Beyond Basic Design

Being right-handed is one of the most obvious privileges that many of us as designers forget. As designers, we need to think about how our users experience the world and direct our design processes accordingly.

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What is Inclusive Design?

Inclusive design is a methodology that focuses on creating solutions for people who have historically been overlooked. It integrates diverse perspectives, ensuring that products meet the needs of all users, not just those who fit into the "mainstream."

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We use tools like user personas, interviews, and user testing to understand our users, but we also need tools to bring diversity into our design processes.

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 Human-Centered Design and Innovation 

When we talk about innovation today, we often focus on human-centered methodologies. The intersection of what is desirable for users, technologically possible, and business viable is where true innovation happens.

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As designers, we are often tempted to focus on what’s desirable for the user—on needs and wants. But are we really considering the full spectrum of users?

Beto wasn’t considered when the task of washing dishes was designed. Are we considering people like Beto in our products?

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Designing Inclusively

Inclusive design allows us to think about the needs of those often ignored. The universal design approach includes accessibility guidelines, especially for people with disabilities, but we need to go beyond basic accessibility.

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Tools for Inclusive Design:

• Research and Ideation: Include diverse participants in interviews. Create non-traditional user personas. For example, What if Jane Doe lost an arm in an accident?

• Design and Prototyping: Use accessibility practices like WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). Ensure sufficient color contrast, consider color blindness when choosing palettes, and ensure readability for people of all ages.

• Testing: Involve people with different abilities to test products. Ask Beto to use your app. Would Tito understand the website you’re designing?

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Empathy Through Self-Awareness

Designing with empathy starts with understanding our own feelings. As designers, we need to recognize how our own emotions shape the way we perceive others.

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For empathy to be effective, we must first understand our own feelings. This self-awareness is key to designing inclusively. Our feelings, what is alive in us, distort the way we receive external stimuli. To empathize with others, I need to first empathize with myself.

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Our bodies have a sense called interoception, which helps us understand our internal state. This sense alerts us to emotions through physical sensations like a racing heart, tense muscles, or a growling stomach.

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By recognizing these signals, we can understand how we feel at any given moment. And the better we can understand our own emotions, the better we can connect with others.

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Bridging the Gap: Design and Development

Today, design and development are deeply intertwined. The gap between these disciplines is shrinking, so let’s make sure we’re designing from a place of awareness. Inclusive design isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a business decision.

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Recognizing Our Biases

The question isn’t "Am I biased?" but rather, "What are my biases?"

Take a moment to think of three biases you might have.

• Did you think of gender? Nationality? Language?

• What about education? Family size? The fact that you have two eyes?

We are all influenced not only by our differences but by our privileges. Acknowledge these biases and consider how they influence our decisions.

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Designing with Purpose

When we are in the research and ideation stages, invite diverse perspectives. Build diverse personas. Consider scenarios outside the mainstream.

As designers, it’s our responsibility to make sure that the products we create are accessible and inclusive for everyone.

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The Importance of Growth Mindset

Finally, own your unknowns. Embrace a growth mindset and be open to learning. We must listen to people whose needs have historically been overlooked and design products that accommodate their experiences.

Inclusive design is about creating for the brave ones—the people who navigate the world without complaining about it not being designed for them.

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So, how can we connect our feelings to the experiences of others? How can we use interoception to better understand ourselves and design more inclusively?

Empathy starts with self-awareness. By understanding how we feel, we can better empathize with others and create more inclusive designs.