12 Jul 2023

Inclusive design: Stories of success through product innovation

The second in a series of blogs outlining the business case for inclusive design.

So far we’ve talked about the mindset shifts needed to embrace and benefit from designing inclusively. Here, we’re going to look at compelling success stories to help inspire your colleagues to care about designing solutions for people with atypical needs.

Getting your colleagues to care

To engage your colleagues on the topic of inclusive design, don’t be shy to invoke empathy and even self-interest. We will all experience temporary or situational disability during our lives – be this personal or with family and friends. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) brings this to life in its guidance on customers in vulnerable situations, featuring life events including bereavement, ‘income shock’, temporary illness, and relationship breakdown. It can be both sobering and energising to reflect on these situations. Other regulators, including Ofcom, Ofgem, and the Competition and Markets Authority have also published guidance that may help.

Success stories

In the private sector, the strongest cards to play are always business success stories.

Enlightened execs already know that constraints like budget, time and technology drive creativity and innovation. Remind them that disability and human diversity can also be helpful constraints, forcing you to think beyond the obvious.

Here are some examples of solutions designed for people with atypical needs that led to both innovation and an unexpected payoff.

  • Touchscreens
  • Audiobooks
  • Money management tools such as upcoming payment reminders
  • Closed captions
  • ‘Dark mode’

Touchscreens

Touchscreen technology was developed in the late 1990s by Wayne Westerman, a graduate student in engineering at the University of Delaware.

Westerman created a small multitouch input device to relieve his symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome when using a computer. Apple later acquired this technology and incorporated it into the first iPhone.

Without Westerman’s difficulty in using a traditional keyboard and mouse, we may not have the touchscreen devices we have today.

Audiobooks

Audiobooks were created in 1935 for soldiers who lost their sight during battle in the First World War.

Today, a vast array of people benefit from this invention, including people with dyslexia (10% of the UK population) or low literacy. So do drivers, passengers who get travel sick when reading, joggers, and people doing household tasks. ‘People on the move or doing things with their hands’ is a big target market.

In 2021, the global audiobook market was sized at £4,219 million.

A photo of a man with headphones on looking at his phone selecting an audiobook to listen to
Although audiobooks were created for people with sight loss, many sighted people benefit from this invention

Closed captions

Closed captioning was initially created for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

Today it seems ubiquitous, auto-generated on most videos that pop up on social media feeds.

This development benefits people with temporary physical needs such as an ear infection, and those who are simply watching videos in a loud environment such as a busy train and don’t have headphones.

What’s more, research shows that the majority of young viewers use subtitles when they watch television – as more of a preference than a need. ‘Gen Z’ and ‘Millennials’ make use of reading text while watching movies and TV to keep up with murmuring dialogue, to distinguish strong accents, and some say just to get a head start on a scene and go back to looking at their phone.

Image of a scene with ‘Vecna’ from Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ with the caption [wet footsteps squelch]
The subtitles in Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ had such emotive descriptors that they went viral.

Money management tools

Banks such as Monzo are responding to the difficulties faced by people with ADHD when managing their personal finances, developing features such as upcoming payment reminders, instant notifications, and bill updates.

But the customers who benefit from these features are by no means limited to those with ADHD. They make life easier for everyone. Many neurotypical Monzo customers use these features to get a grip on their personal finances and navigate the cost of living crisis.

Customers including Rachel and Anwar say things like:

Notifications make managing my money less scary

Rachel 31 years old

Pots and automation have revolutionised the way I manage my money

Anwar 28 years old
Two phone screens from the Monzo app: Screen 1 is setting a spending budget. Screen 2 shows how much money is left of the budget
Setting up and monitoring a spending budget in the Monzo app

‘Dark mode’

Offering a ‘dark mode’ option helps people who have trouble processing ‘light mode’ interfaces because of cataracts or problems caused by cloudy vision, which is common in old age.

But dark mode also benefits people who do not have these medical conditions. It helps reduce eye strain that comes with prolonged screen time, makes it easier to stay focussed on work, improves visibility for users with low vision, and benefits those who are sensitive to bright light such as people with ME/CFS or Long Covid.

Photo of an iphone in ‘dark mode’ - the background is black and the text is in white and light grey
‘Dark mode’ on phones and computers benefits many people – not just those with medical conditions.

What next?

These are just a handful of examples from the digital world whereby products and services that were originally designed for ‘people with disabilities’ are actually hugely beneficial to a much wider set of people.

In the next blog in this series, we will delve deeper into the business case for inclusive design. Specifically, we will introduce five commercial benefits of inclusive design and explain how designing in this way can give you a competitive advantage.

Learn more about Inclusive design: Stories of success through product innovation

Anna Boscoe

Reach out to Anna Boscoe

User Experience Content Specialist

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