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Mismatch

Kat Holmes
bHow inclusive methods can build elegant design solutions that work for all./bpSometimes 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 iMismatch/i, Kat Holmes describes how design can lead to exclusion, and how design can also remedy exclusion. Inclusive design methods designing objects iwith/i rather than ifor/i excluded users can create elegant solutions that work well and benefit all./ppHolmes 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 Wall of Exclusion, 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 sonification so she can listen to the stars./ppDesigning 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