The People We Are April 2017

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Latest on I-N-C-L-U-S-I-V-E Every design decision has the potential to include or exclude customers. Inclusive design emphasizes the contribution that understanding user diversity makes to inform these decisions, and thus to include as many people as possible. User diversity covers variation in capabilities, needs and aspirations. Read some of the latest news in inclusive design and start thinking about how to contribute!

Everyday Inclusive Design: 8 Products That Make Life a Little Easier What’s your morning routine like? Maybe it involves brushing your teeth, getting dressed, taking a shower, perhaps eating a quick bowl of cereal. Now imagine that you had to go about the exact same routine as someone else. But you couldn’t see. Or you had severe arthritis. Or you simply couldn’t use a spoon. This would make your routine a bit trickier, because many of the everyday objects you use each morning — and throughout the day — were not created with inclusive design principles in mind. The designers didn’t take into account what using them might be like for someone with different abilities. Since our mission is to design products that can be used by many groups of people regardless of their abilities, we wondered what other products did the same. What ordinary, everyday objects could inspire us as true examples of inclusive design?

OXO was founded on the philosophy of Universal Design, which means the design of products usable by as many people as possible. Today, OXO offers 1,000+ products covering many areas of the home, all created based on this principle. The company has been recognized globally as an example of how a well-executed Universal Design philosophy not only creates products that are beneficial to end users but is also a sensible business model.

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