I was born without my left hand and forearm and have lived with this (and other invisible disabilities) my whole life. It’s my normal. And honestly, I never “feel” disabled. I just feel like me. So, when I encounter a product, service or person that makes me feel otherwise, it’s incredibly disheartening. It makes me acutely aware of my disability and that I am being excluded and different in some way.

But, when I find a new, mainstream product that allows me to perform an action freely for the first time (like using the REVLON One-step Volumizer to get a perfect blowout outside of the salon) or when a customer service provider treats me like everyone else, I immediately feel empowered.

That feeling is the essence of Inclusive Design. And the future of Inclusive Design depends on it being everywhere, and it becoming the standard.  

What Is Inclusive Design?

Before we can dive into the future, let’s first unpack what Inclusive Design is. Inclusive design is the designing of products and services that work for everyone while ensuring people with disabilities are being equitably served.

Our world is innately made to exclude many marginalised communities, but it is also consciously and unconsciously specifically designed to keep people with disabilities out. This stems from centuries of worldwide ableism and even recent oppressive laws like the Ugly Laws that required people to hide their disabilities.

Inclusive Design starts with this and the reality that if we are not actively being inclusive, we are disabling by default. It then makes sure that people with disabilities are at the heart of all aspects of the design process. From the initial research, to design, to the ultimate communication of the product or service.

What is it not?

Inclusive design is not Design for Disability (which explores the needs of and solves for individual experiences of disability) or a Disability Dongle (a term coined by expert Liz Jackson to describe a ‘well intended, elegant, yet useless solution’). Inclusive design includes and enables a full range of human diversity and perspectives. The outcome of this method is enhanced access for as many people as reasonably possible.

Inclusive design isn’t explicitly only a DE&I issue either. While it intersects with a company’s DE&I work, it transcends every part of business. It goes beyond important aspects like representation to influencing all aspects of a business from R&D to ESG, to recruiting to marketing. That’s why inclusion strategies need to be woven throughout the fabric of organisations, with every team understanding the responsibility and opportunity.

Why now?

Despite 15% of the world’s population having a disability, 73% of consumers being touched by disability and there being a $13tn opportunity, the private sector is failing to meet the expectations of this market. Indeed, 75-80% of customer experiences are deemed to be a failure by disabled people.

But the brands that champion a wider spectrum of human need (like Apple, Amazon, P&G and Netflix) are starting to experience some key benefits like stronger brand loyalty; increased brand value; greater differentiation; enhanced credibility; innovation opportunities; improved talent retention and higher brand engagement, to name a few.

It will take time, investment, and perseverance. But the time is now, and the only real risk is being left behind.

How do we get it to become the standard for businesses?

There is no future of inclusive design without retrospection. So, take a “look in the mirror” of your business. Ask yourself: what inequities do you find? How do they intersect with other goals you may be prioritising? Who do you consider are your customers vs who they actually are? Who are you not including because of unconscious biases? How can you benefit and capture more consumers?

Consider the Curb-Cut Effect. Originally created for people with disabilities, curbs across the world now include sloped indentations to allow for access. Yet it was quickly realised that there was universal perk for people pushing strollers, people traveling with suitcases, cyclists, and more. Because of this benefit, it is now the “normal” for creating pavements.  

So, if brands in every sector are proactively acting by identifying and addressing barriers to participation across their touchpoints, accessibility will not be a niche, daunting or complicated process. It will simply be a standard operating procedure.

Adopting Inclusive Design

At Interbrand, we pursue the Barrier-Free Brand Experience across the board and we have one very simple goal: to create great experiences that work for as many people as possible, for as long as possible. Outdated ideals, apathy and historic fear of disability have led to a ‘design divide’.

We want to help break down this divide by working to make more experiences equitable and seamless. We are on the mission to work with our talent, partners and clients to break down the design divide, by embedding inclusive design at the heart of every brand experience. So, with a view to futureproofing ourselves, our societies, and our economies, we want to help our clients move from ‘passive’ to ‘purposeful’ in their inclusivity efforts.