38 examples of how to design for diversity, inclusion and accessibility

Sometimes you need to re-design products and packaging to make them accessible…

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1. Did you ever think about how we could make it easier for visually impaired people to understand what kind of product they hold in their hands? Like food and beverages. 

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2. When they go shopping for themselves, and their loved ones.

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3. Or sanitary products, like soap.

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4. Sometimes we don’t have to design an entirely new product, but a little add-on might do the job perfectly.

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5. Or a simple overlay.

… sometimes it’s about interior design and wayfinding…

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6. I bet this would be used not only by disabled people!

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7. Same here – who likes stairs anyways.

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8. There’s multiple things we could redesign about stairs.

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9. Sometimes, sinks are so large that they are even inconvenient for tall people – but there is such a straightforward design solution.

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10. We can take sinks to the next level.

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11. Design can help open doors. 

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12. And we can make doors a real point of entrance.

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… making people feel safe and secure… 

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13. Don’t think doors provide the same security to all people.

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14. Security and protection must be usable for everyone.

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15. Especially at points of high risk, we need more inclusive design.

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16. Trusting traffic participants is important, but how about better conditions per design?

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… and making existing infrastructure available and enjoyable for everyone…

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17. Some of us enjoy vibrant supermarkets – but for some it’s unbearable.

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18. Supermarkets are a thing that we basically can’t prevent going to, so we should carefully make them accessible to everyone.

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19. All of us have the same right to visit the beautiful places on this planet, and we can make them accessible to everyone.

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20. Even if it’s clear that people with significant visual disabilities are not able to use some products and services (yet), like driving an e-scooter, it does not mean they have not to be considered when designing the devices.

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21. Some very basic infrastructure is easy to design. Like chairs.

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22. And sometimes accessibility is only a matter of language and translation.

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… designing public spaces so we can come together…

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23. It’s details that make an impact.

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24. Not only practical impact, but also impact on the public mindset.

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25. Details that help us never forget about the disabled.

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… or playgrounds for our kids and the young-at-heart… 

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26. Like swings for people in wheelchairs.

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27. And swings with seatbelts for disabled people.

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28. Common playgrounds can have more to offer than swings only.

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29. Making the best things of childhood available to all kids.

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30. And helping kids make friends, and at the same time learn new languages.

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… or toys for fun and education… 

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31. Many toys are still based on stereotypes and they are everything but diverse – let's do, foster, and appreciate the tiny steps into the right direction.

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32. Just because: why not?

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33. After all, toys are not only for pure playing, but they do have educational value.

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… and why not additionally promote the intention, when sometimes a simple sign or a statement is enough.

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34. It’s so easy to make reminders better visible.

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35. A sign that we do care about physical conditions.

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36. Not only physical conditions, but also mental conditions.

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37. Redesigning established means whilst keeping their original purpose – by the way, we have the same in our headquarter’s city, Innsbruck (and we love them).

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38. We also have benches like these in Innsbruck (we love these too).

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Of course this is only a few beautiful examples, but there's still a long way to go, many ideas to have, many actions to take – for all of us. 

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