Imagine waking up to a world where it’s either their way or the highway. Your choices don’t matter. Love roses? No one plants them. Love hot chocolate? Hot chocolate is banned. Adore human touch? People practice social distancing. Scary, right? Now imagine doing this with your customers. It would be unethical. And they would feel excluded. Not good for business. Not good for the image. 

Who can save you? Inclusive design! Simply put, it’s creating and designing products that can be used by people from all backgrounds and abilities. It may take into account accessibility, age, economic situation, geographic location, language, race, and more. for example, a form that puts “prefer not to say” as an option for marital status in addition to the usuals. See? It’s a simple option but makes the customer feel considered. 

Let’s see how you can implement inclusive design across various marketing channels. 

Inclusive web design:

• Consider typography: use simple language. Define abbreviations. Provide descriptions of links. And develop logical headings to improve readability for all users.
• Pay attention to color contrast: ensure that design elements have sufficient contrast to benefit users with visual impairments or color blindness.
• Collaborate with developers: developers can help optimize websites for screen readers and ensure full accessibility compliance.
• Captions and transcripts for videos: add captions and transcripts to videos. This helps users with hearing impairments access the information shown in videos.
• Keyboard accessibility: can your website be navigated using a keyboard? If not, then design it for users with motor disabilities who cannot use a mouse.
• Consistent and intuitive navigation: people with cognitive limitations find it difficult to navigate complex designs. Make sure your UI is clear and intuitively designed. 
• Multilingual support: users with limited English proficiency would benefit from options in different languages. 

Inclusive social media:

• Leverage built-in accessibility structures: automatic captioning and alt-image descriptions are simple ways to reach a larger and more inclusive audience.
• Recognize exclusion and learn from followers: no account is perfect. Give your followers a chance to connect with you. True, not everything can be considered. But whatever can be, should be. 
• Welcome everyone: use inclusive language to not exclude any part. If you’re unsure of preferred pronouns, use gender-neutral pronouns. Always avoid ableist language. And feature diverse voices and perspectives. Be authentic, but know there’s always a lot to learn. 

Inclusive email marketing:

• Ensure accessibility: follow proper contrast ratios. Use diverse imagery. And implement alt-text for screen reader users.
• Encourage feedback: allow recipients to reply and provide feedback on how to improve inclusivity.
• Inclusive email signatures: include inclusive elements in your email signatures, such as preferred gender pronouns or symbols that represent support for diversity and inclusion.

Inclusive blog posts:

• Follow web content principles: maintain proper contrast. Use outlined headers. And provide alt-text for imagery. Make it as easy to read as it would be to navigate.
• Use inclusive language: consider differences in gender, age, ability, language, and other factors. Make it welcoming for all. 

Inclusive advertisements:

• Create inclusively: hire actors from diverse backgrounds, ages, genders, and races. Portray the honest human element. not tokenism.
• Know the connection: when creating ads for a different culture, know what ticks them. Not everyone likes meat. Not everyone has a simple name. Every detail calls for inclusivity. Make the connection. 

Your brand exists to make your consumers’ lives better. You are their friend. They are yours. Inclusive design helps you appreciate their quirks and antics. Helps them believe in you. Builds a positive image for you. And most importantly, makes the world a better place. Want to know how your brand can implement inclusive design? Let’s chat!

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