We live in a time of uncertainty and rapid change, in which technology evolves but doesn’t always keep up with everyone’s needs. We often see the rights of minorities being neglected. At times like these, it is essential to reflect on fundamental concepts that guarantee fair access to information, products and services.
Accessibility, inclusion and universal design are not just good practices or market trends, they are acquired rights and determining factors for a fairer world. However, the three concepts are not the same thing – today we’re going to talk about the differences between them.
What is Accessible Design?
The main focus of accessible design is to create solutions that meet the needs of people with disabilities or limitations, ensuring that they can use products, services and interfaces without difficulty. Following guidelines and good practices, the aim is to eliminate obstacles and allow equal access.
Accessibility is often a legal and technical requirement. There are international standards, such as the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), which provide guidance on how to create accessible experiences on the web.
Examples of accessible design:
Google and Apple have incorporated native screen readers into their operating systems – TalkBack on Android and VoiceOver on iOS – allowing visually impaired people to navigate smartphones without the need for additional software. These features convert interface elements into audio, describing icons, buttons and text so that the user can interact with the device using gestures and voice commands. In addition, screen readers have evolved to support third-party applications, reading images with artificial intelligence and even recognizing text in photos, making the digital experience much more accessible and independent.
The Xbox Adaptive Controller is a video game controller designed for players with motor disabilities. It has large, programmable buttons and several inputs for connecting auxiliary devices, such as switches and custom pedals. Its modular design allows each player to adapt the experience to their needs.
OrCam MyEye, an assistive device for people who are blind or have low vision, is a small camera that can be attached to ordinary glasses and uses artificial intelligence to convert text into speech in real time. It can read books, signs, menus and even recognize faces and objects, providing more independence for visually impaired users.
What about Inclusive Design?
If accessible design seeks to remove barriers, inclusive design goes one step further: it thinks about diversity right from the start of the creative process. This means designing for different user profiles, taking into account not only disabilities, but also age, culture, gender, social class and any other characteristic that might impact the user experience.
Examples of inclusive design:
Lego has launched a special set of Braille bricks, designed to make the play experience more accessible to children who are blind or have low vision. Each piece retains the traditional shape of the brand’s blocks, but features reliefs that correspond to the letters and numbers of the braille system, allowing children to learn tactile language in an interactive and playful way. In addition, the blocks remain compatible with conventional Lego sets, promoting inclusion by enabling visually impaired and non-visually impaired children to play together. This initiative reinforces the brand’s commitment to accessibility and education, offering sensory learning that stimulates children’s development in a fun and inclusive way.
Barbie has launched a line of dolls that celebrates diversity, incorporating different body types, skin tones and physical disabilities. The collection includes dolls with prostheses, wheelchairs, vitiligo and various variations in height and body type, broadening representation in toys. This allows more children to recognize themselves in the dolls they play with, promoting inclusion and reinforcing the message that beauty comes in many forms.
Fenty Beauty, the brand created by Rihanna, revolutionized the beauty industry by launching a line of foundations and concealers with more than 50 shades, covering a diversity of skin tones that had long been neglected by the market. The impact was so great that the initiative became known as the Fenty Effect, pushing other brands to expand their color ranges and making diversity a new standard in the beauty industry.
What about Universal Design?
Universal design goes beyond inclusion and accessibility. It aims to create solutions that work for as many people as possible, regardless of specific limitations. It is a concept that seeks to eliminate the need for future adaptations, designing products, spaces and interfaces that can be used by anyone, without the need for modification.
Examples of universal design:
Instagram, TikTok and YouTube have implemented the option of automatic subtitles in videos, making the content more accessible to people with hearing impairments and also benefiting those who watch without sound, such as in public environments. This technology uses artificial intelligence to transcribe speech in real time, allowing more users to understand the content without having to rely on manual subtitles. In addition, some platforms allow these subtitles to be edited for greater accuracy, ensuring a more inclusive and enhanced experience for different audiences.
Oxo Good Grips, a range of kitchen utensils, was initially created for people with arthritis. The range has non-slip, ergonomic handles that offer greater comfort and firmness when holding knives, peelers and can openers. The design was conceived to reduce the effort required to handle the utensils, making the kitchen more accessible for the elderly, people with reduced mobility and even those looking for more practicality.
Automatic doors are also an example of universal design, because they benefit all users, regardless of age, mobility or specific need. They were initially developed to ensure accessibility for people with motor disabilities, allowing wheelchair users or people with walking difficulties to pass through without having to push a heavy door. However, they also benefit other people, such as parents with baby carriages, people carrying bags, the elderly and even those who simply have their hands full.
How do the three relate?
Accessible design is a starting point, as it seeks to ensure that people with disabilities can use a product or service without barriers. Inclusive design broadens this perspective, considering diversity and designing for multiple groups. Universal design, on the other hand, has the mission of eliminating barriers from the outset, so that the experience of using the product or service is designed for everyone.
Think of it this way:
- A website can be accessible if it includes screen readers and keyboard navigation commands.
- It can be inclusive if it takes into account different cultures, literacy levels and social issues, ensuring that the content makes sense to different audiences.
- It will be universal if it is intuitive and functional for anyone, regardless of skills, languages or devices, without the need for specific adjustments.
Why does this matter to your business?
When a design is accessible, inclusive and universal, more people can interact with it. And that means greater reach, a better user experience and more opportunities to connect with different audiences. What’s more, more and more consumers value brands that demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion. At the end of the day, design should be for everyone; when we design with the plurality of the world in mind, we create smarter, more humane and more efficient solutions.
