What is inclusive design?

Requirements

Products make demands on their users. They in turn have different abilities and different needs. In order for a person to use a product properly, his or her abilities must match the requirements that the product demands. The design of the product plays a decisive role in this, because the design determines which requirements a product has.

Exclusion by design

If a product does not meet the needs of its users, this can lead to frustration and exclusion, with consequences of varying degrees.

Diversity

All people are different. This includes body, mental and physical abilities, cultural backgrounds, experiences, age and much more. So the question arises, what is considered normal? What is the norm? How do designers deal with this? How do you deal with it?

Limitation of abilities

Limitations of abilities can be permanent, but also temporary or situational. For example: A person cannot use the right hand to open a door. The reason for this could be: The person has only had one hand since birth (permanent), the person has sprained the hand and is in pain (temporary), or the person is carrying a small child in their arms (situational). Another example: A person does not hear the phone ring. Reason could be: The person has a hearing impairment (permanent), the person has an ear infection (temporary), or the person is next to a noisy construction site (situational).

Inclusive design

Inclusive design aims to consider the needs of as many users of a product as possible in the design process. The focus is on the diversity of the users in their characteristics, abilities and thus needs. Inclusive design sees itself less as a final product and much more as an ongoing process. In contrast to universal design - which has as its goal a final product for all - an inclusively designed product can be adaptable or available in several variants.

Decisions in the design process determine how inclusive a design becomes. Inclusion in design is your choice.

What data is it based on?

On the keyboard of a standard piano, octaves are 18.8 cm. This puts 87% of female pianists at a disadvantage when playing, as the average hand span of a Cis-woman is only 17.8 - 20.3 cm. This puts female pianists at a 50% higher risk of pain and injury than pianists who have a larger hand span.

More info on card number 42

Who does it fit?

Gilbert S. Daniels made an observation in the 1950s. He examined the mass of 4,063 US Air Force pilots. From this, he calculated the mass of the average pilot and compared it with that of the pilots who had been measured. The result: none of the 4,063 pilots matched the masses of the average pilot. So if the Air Force cockpits were designed for the average pilot - which was the case until then - they were not designed to fit anyone. The solution: adjustable seats, pedals, helmet straps and flight suits.

More info on card number 19

Who does it appeal to?

Gender is omnipresent in design, this was illustrated by the work "meet the mega hurricane mixer and the drill dolphia". In this work, the typical shape and color language of a drill (male associated) was applied to a stick blender (female associated) and vice versa. This highlights how seemingly gender-neutral design is shaped by stereotypes.

More info on card number 48

Sources:

Microsoft Design. Inclusive, 2016. last accessed on: 24.02.2023.
University of Cambridge. Inclusive Design Toolkit. Last accessed on: 26.01.2023.
Ehrnberger, Karin. Räsänen, Minna. Ilstedt, Sara. Visualising Gender Norms in Design: Meet the Mega Hurricane Mixer and the Drill Dolphia. In: International Journal of Design Vol.6 No.3, 2012.
Criado-Perez, Caroline. Unsichtbare Frauen – wie eine von Daten beherrschte Welt die Hälfte der Bevölkerung ignoriert. München: 2020, 4. Auflage. S.217-219
Rose, Todd. The End of Average – How we succeed in a World That Values Sameness, New York: 2016. S.1-4, 9