Mismatch

<b>How inclusive methods can build elegant design solutions that work for all.</b><p>Sometimes designed objects reject their users: a computer mouse that doesn't work for left-handed people for example or a touchscreen payment system that only works for people who read English phrases have 20/20 vision and use a credit card. Something as simple as color choices can render a product unusable for millions. These mismatches are the building blocks of exclusion. In <i>Mismatch</i> Kat Holmes describes how design can lead to exclusion and how design can also remedy exclusion. Inclusive design methods&#151;designing objects <i>with</i> rather than <i>for</i> excluded users&#151;can create elegant solutions that work well and benefit all.</p><p>Holmes tells stories of pioneers of inclusive design many of whom were drawn to work on inclusion because of their own experiences of exclusion. A gamer and designer who depends on voice recognition shows Holmes his &#147;Wall of Exclusion&#148; which displays dozens of game controllers that require two hands to operate; an architect shares her firsthand knowledge of how design can fail communities gleaned from growing up in Detroit's housing projects; an astronomer who began to lose her eyesight adapts a technique called &#147;sonification&#148; so she can &#147;listen&#148; to the stars.</p><p>Designing for inclusion is not a feel-good sideline. Holmes shows how inclusion can be a source of innovation and growth especially for digital technologies. It can be a catalyst for creativity and a boost for the bottom line as a customer base expands. And each time we remedy a mismatched interaction we create an opportunity for more people to contribute to society in meaningful ways.</p>