How Inclusive Design Benefits Gender and Sexual Diversity

Designing with the needs of LGBTQIA+ individuals in mind

Inclusive design is an integral part of product design. It’s more than just making products available to everyone; it’s about designing with empathy and consideration for all individuals.

When I hear the term “inclusive design,” I think of creating products and experiences that are accessible and useful to as many people as possible, regardless of their backgrounds, abilities, or identities. Inclusive design aims to ensure that everyone, regardless of their physical, cognitive, or cultural differences, can participate fully in society and benefit from the products and services that are available to them.

Inclusive design is not just about making sure that products are physically accessible, such as wheelchair ramps or subtitles on videos, but also about considering the diverse needs and preferences of all users, including those who are often marginalized or excluded. This takes into account gender and sexual diversity because it guarantees that products meet the distinct needs of LGBTQIA+ individuals in a thoughtful manner.

Understanding gender and sexual diversity

Before we dive into the principles of inclusive design for gender and sexual diversity, let’s start by defining what we mean by LGBTQIA+. The term refers to individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more.

Those who identify as LGBTQIA+ often face unique challenges in product design, such as being excluded from certain products due to assumptions about gender and sexuality. Inclusive design aims to address these challenges by creating products that cater to a range of gender expressions and sexual orientations.

Use gender-neutral language and images

Using gendered language and images can be incredibly limiting. It can make people who don’t identify with those gendered stereotypes feel like they don’t belong. And that’s not what we want in inclusive design! We want to create products that make everyone feel welcome and included.