What’s the difference and Does it matter?

Accessibility and inclusivity are vital to product design, service design, digital design and the design of the built environment. Both are human issues, both are business issues and both need to work together to work at all. They are pretty similar, so should the difference matter?

What’s the difference?

For something to be accessible it should be planned, designed, tested and built so everyone has access and can use it. The dictionary definition of accessible is, “easy to approach, reach, enter, speak with, or use”.

The dictionary definition of inclusivity is, “the practice or policy of including people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalised”. Inclusivity focuses on everyone feeling safe and valued resulting in wanting to be included.

 The key differences

Inclusive design:

• Requires understanding and empathy.
• Those often excluded are invited to test and provide opinions.
• Cares about engaging with everybody and wants everybody to want to engage.
• Is emotional and objective.

Accessible Design:

• Is concerned only with technical or logistical facts.
• Can be defined, measured and tested because it is based on objective, measurable certainties.
• Is focused on incorporating equal navigation and full access.
• Is concerned only with what is feasible or possible.

Why the confusion?

Inclusive design and accessible design have a shared intention that what we create is for everyone. It is therefore not surprising the terms get used interchangeably. As someone who is regularly on the wrong side of both I admit, I sometimes find myself using them interchangeably. When I am frustrated that I cannot access something on-line with my assistive technology I often say it is not inclusive. I should say it is not accessible and this leads me to feel excluded. In the moment, I usually say something much less polite and could not care less about the difference!

What matters is they both contribute to excluding me and making me feel ‘other’ and inadequate. They both limit my independence and ability to work efficiently, and they both reduce access to opportunities.

Rather than get bogged down in semantics, I’d rather you ask these two questions at the start and throughout the design process. Considering these questions at the end is not recommended as you may be required to back-track causing delay and extra costs. You may also miss out on valuable insights and innovation.

• How might we provide access to as many people as possible?
• How might we promote widely and genuinely invite and include everyone?  

The concept is that simple. In reality you won’t get it right for everyone every time. Strive with a genuine commitment and the necessary lived experience and learned expertise and you will get it right for most people most of the time.

This is the point where it is usual to talk ethics, legal obligations and business cases but I am not going to do this. Instead I am going to say, if you and your brand/organisation have a soul, do the right thing for the right reasons. The significant minority that will thank you for it will include people in your networks and your customer base. It might well include you one day.

Please share your thoughts and experiences…..

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