Holmes tells stories of pioneers of inclusive design, many of whom were drawn to work on inclusion because of their own experiences of exclusion. Inclusive design methods-designing objects with rather than for excluded users-can create elegant solutions that work well and benefit all. In Mismatch, Kat Holmes describes how design can lead to exclusion, and how design can also remedy exclusion. These mismatches are the building blocks of exclusion. Something as simple as color choices can render a product unusable for millions. 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. And each time we remedy a mismatched interaction, we create an opportunity for more people to contribute to society in meaningful ways.How inclusive methods can build elegant design solutions that work for all. It can be a catalyst for creativity and a boost for the bottom line as a customer base expands. Holmes shows how inclusion can be a source of innovation and growth, especially for digital technologies.

Designing for inclusion is not a feel-good sideline. 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 an astronomer who began to lose her eyesight adapts a technique called 'sonification' so she can 'listen' to the stars.

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Mismatch by Kat Holmes