Inclusive Design

Focuses on finding solutions to meet different needs. Inclusive design means making design choices that take into account personal identifiers like ability, race, economic status, language, age, and gender

Why it matters

Its founding observation is that “the average user” does not exist — everyone sits at the edge of some dimension. Designing for permanent, temporary and situational limits together is how one-handed phone use got solved for parents holding coffee, not just broken arms.

The numbers

Permanent, temporary, situational — the exclusion spectrum (Microsoft)
Solve for one, extend to many — the operating principle

Related terms

Accessibility (a11y)
Data-Driven Design
Equity-focused design
Hick’s Law
UX Research

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