Whether you work with a nonprofit or a social impact design firm, how much you prioritize digital accessibility is a demonstration of your values. That’s because design exists to serve people and social impact design serves to create a better world. If we are to commit to accessible design, we should elevate our aspirations higher and commit to inclusive design as a core pillar in our strategy and design practices. Because inclusive design practices are where the seeds of accessible design are planted. Inclusive design embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we hope these inclusive design resources aid you in developing work that caters to people with a range of experiences, needs, backgrounds, and abilities. Inclusive design is the difference between designing for “audiences” or “stakeholders” and remembering that everything we design is for an individual person—and is experienced by that individual person.
Constructive’s Senior Strategist, Titania Veda brings a decade of expertise in social impact service design and program design, and places inclusive design practices at the center of her work. Below, she’s curated 10 of her favorite resources on inclusive design—including resources that supported her work with the City of Austin, Texas to create their first-ever lived experience initiative to meet the challenges of people experiencing homelessness—all of which contribute to the mindset that Constructive’s team brings to our human-centered design practice. We hope that this month’s Constructively Curated inspires you to design brand experiences that are not only accessible when completed, but inclusive when conceived.
The Inclusive Design Research Centre
The IDRC is an international community of developers, designers, researchers, educators & co-designers who work to ensure the newest technology and practices are designed inclusively. The IDRC is a hub for any inclusive design resources you may want or need, from articles to open source tools—and even an annual conference.
What is Inclusive Design for Learning?
If you’re looking to understand exactly what inclusive design entails, especially as it relates to creating digital learning experiences, this short read is for you. It breaks down three ideas central to inclusive design and learning: recognizing diversity and uniqueness, using inclusive processes and tools, and enabling broader beneficial impact.
A Virtual Group for Discussing Digital Accessibility
This virtual group hosts speakers and conversations bridging the gap between developers and accessibility professionals. A11yTalks encourages participants to share & learn from each other in a safe and inclusive environment. You can visit their site to sign up for upcoming talks or their Youtube for an archive of previous talks.
Microsoft’s Inclusive Design Principles and Toolkit
How are companies actually incorporating inclusivity into their workflow? Microsoft Design published their inclusive design principles to answer just this—along with a useful toolkit of inclusive design resources. Microsoft’s free toolkit introduces and familiarizes design teams, and gives them tools to integrate inclusivity into their workflow too.
The Centre For Inclusive Design
The Centre for Inclusive Design is an industry leader in inclusive and accessible design, working with clients to create inclusive design processes and strategies, and promoting a future where inclusive design is the norm. Their resource hub includes written guides, tools, reports, and an inspiration series that we recommend digging into.
The Inclusive Designers Podcast
The Inclusive Designers podcast was created by Janet Roche and Carolyn Robbins to be a collaborative forum for designers to share ideas and advocate for designing with dignity. You can listen to the two seasons of their podcast directly on their website, or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.
Liberatory Design
Liberatory Design is a creative problem-solving approach and practice founded on the principles of equity and designing for liberation. The co-creators recognize that equity challenges are complex, and even the best intentioned design efforts can fall short. Visit their site to learn more and download a free Liberatory Design Deck.
Inclusive Design is a Welcome Mat
This brief Youtube video from NNGroup explains clearly the importance of designing with inclusivity in mind, and easy ways to do so. Inclusive design should be about more than just clearing a path for people, it should also be about putting down a welcome mat—designing with thought and care for every individual.
An Inclusive Design Dedicated Instagram to Follow: @ux.forthewin
Trina of @ux.forthewin shares posts on Instagram dedicated to user experience, designing for inclusivity, and advocating for human centered technology. Her page is a place for UX professionals to connect, discuss, and share resources, and it is a great follow if you’re looking to stay connected to inclusive design conversations on the daily.
A Collection of More Inclusive Design Resources from a UX Design School Member
Jessica Ivins of Center Centre, a UX design school, collects resources on inclusivity and accessible design daily, and she has compiled 15 of these informational resources in this article. If you’re still looking for more books, articles, podcasts, or other resources on inclusive design (even after this newsletter!) gleam through these recommendations.
More Constructively Curated
• 8 Resources to Build a Social Media Presence and Strategy for Your Nonprofit
• 7 Service Design Resources for Greater Social Impact
• 7 Resources to Support the LGBTQ+ Community in the Workplace
