Diversity is the DNA of innovation and growth

When it comes to designing a product or service, it’s easy to fall into the trap of designing for the majority. Below, I argue that there is tremendous opportunity that exists when we include those that are too often excluded.

“To become a visionary, you have to take the perspective of an outsider in order to see the things that are taken for granted by insiders. Possibilities and opportunities become more apparent when you are confronting a problem with a fresher perspective.” Catherine Wines, British entrepreneur

In today’s society, the development of new products and services often prioritises the needs and desires of those in the dominant culture. As a result, certain groups of people can be left behind and marginalised when it comes to the design and implementation of these new innovations.

It’s important to note that it’s not just designers who should be employing inclusive design mindsets and behaviours. I believe that anyone who plays an active role in creating anything for people or making decisions for or on behalf of someone can be considered a designer in the context of inclusive design.

And we, as creators and decision makers, shouldn’t see inclusion as a limitation, but instead, inspiration for new inventions that benefit many more people and enhance the commercial potential of a product or service.

When does innovation occur?

“The outsized discoveries — the ‘non-linear’ ones — are highly likely to require wandering.” Jeff Bezos’s on the outsider mindset

According to experts on innovation, there are generally types of innovation:

1. Incremental Innovation which is a series of small improvements or upgrades made to an existing product, service, process or method. It is knowledge deepening and directed within well-defined boundaries, for example, James Dyson and the tweaking of his 5,127 prototypes over five years (!)
2. Recombinant Innovation which is when ideas from different fields come together to create something new, or, as science writer Matt Ridley puts it, ideas ‘meeting and mating’, for example, Instagram which combined digital photography and social networking

With the rapid and exponential growth of technology over recent decades, economic value is being driven more so the latter i.e. recombination and the combining of different technologies. It is this type of innovation that has become the dominant force of change across technology, business, science and beyond.

If recombinant is the type of innovation we are striving for, a transdisciplinary approach to learning, designing and collaborating is how we get there.

University of Technology Sydney defines transdisciplinary innovation as the process of ‘bringing together different perspectives, data, information, tools, concepts, techniques and theories from multiple disciplines’.

In other words, when we collaborate our thinking across a range of different disciplines and continuously evolve and combine our interactions into a new way of thinking, we can deliver innovative and creative solutions not otherwise available to us.

We are underestimating the potential of inclusive innovation

“Accessibility has, for far too long, been relegated to technical compliance. It is often confined to jargon-filled project phases centering on remediation and risk mitigation… Those areas are justified, but let us move more conversations and commitments from technical requirements to human-centric innovation.” Josh Loebner for AdWeek

One such group that experiences marginalisation in Australia is migrants.

A 2023 study by Migrant Workers Centre found that migrant workers in Australia experience barriers to employment, exploitation, job insecurity, wage theft, discrimination, bullying and verbal abuse.

According to Professor Fethi Mansouri (Director of the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation at Deakin Uni, UNESCO Chair on Cultural Diversity and Social Justice and Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia) on Seriously Social’s podcast episode “I’m not racist, but…” — 15% to 20% of Australians hold strong negative views about diversity, multiculturalism — an increase from years previous.

Racism is on the rise. And this is a loss to us all.

Migrants and those whose cultural experiences are different to those from dominant groups, provide new light into our basic frames of reference and world-views. This Outsider Mindset enables them to view a challenge from a new, novel perspective — giving us latitude to come up with new ideas.

For example, according to a 2018 study by the National Foundation for American Policy, migrants founded or co-founded 55% of the United States’ billion-dollar companies — so-called unicorns.

In a study led by economist Pete Vandor, he examined the capacity for students to come up with business ideas before and after a semester. Half of the students went to live abroad, the other half stayed in their home universities. Their ideas were then assessed by a venture capitalist. Those who studied abroad had ideas that were rated 17% higher than those who had not. In fact, those who stayed home actually experienced a decline in the quality of ideas over the course of the study.

When we have a deep familiarity with the status quo, it makes it psychologically difficult to see it objectively and deconstruct or disrupt it. The scope of our input is limited.

“It is not only problematic to think disabled people shouldn’t have access [to gaming], but that attitude stifles creativity and innovation. It stifles progress that can benefit disabled and nondisabled people alike.” Erin Hawley, Editor The Geeky Gimp and person living with disability

Another group that experiences exclusion is people living with a disability.

In 2022, 18% (4.4 million) or 1 in 6 people in Australia— were living with a disability. A significant portion of the population that is left out in the design of products, services and spaces.

One recent example is of Queensland New Generation Rollingstock trains and their failure to comply with disability legislation. In this case, the toilets were not big enough for people to move from their wheelchairs to the seat.

$4.4 billion had been invested in the new fleet of trains, and another $336 million was spent to install a second toilet on all the trains and increase the size of the existing trains by 10%, an additional cost that could have been avoided if the design process considered the diversity and involved people from different backgrounds.

Companies that embrace best practices for employing and supporting more persons with disabilities in their workforce have shown to outperform their peers and are better positioned to mitigate risk.

Photo of an older and younger man smiling. by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash

Everyday inventions Inspired by the disability communities

There are many examples of inventions that people without disabilities have gone on to benefit from that wouldn’t have been possible if not for the contributions of people living with disability.

This is called the curb cut effect i.e. the phenomenon of disability-friendly features being used and appreciated by a larger group than the people they were designed for.

It is the disability community that we have to thank for the creation of:

Virtual Assistants

The first use cases for virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa came from work in voice over. People with disabilities who couldn’t type or use a mouse found that voice commands were a more accessible way to interact with their devices. Today, virtual assistants are used by millions of people around the world, making our lives easier and more convenient.

Gesture Controls

Gesture controls like those used in Smart TVs came from work with carpal tunnel. People with carpal tunnel syndrome often have difficulty using traditional remotes, so gesture controls provide a more accessible option. Today, gesture controls are widely used in a variety of devices, from smartphones to gaming consoles.

Image ALT Text

Image ALT text was first designed to help search engines read an image so that it can then index and rank it. But this feature has gone on to benefit those with vision impairments. With image ALT text, people who use screen readers can understand what’s in an image and get a more complete picture of what’s on a webpage.

Hybrid Work and Telework

Hybrid work and telework have become more common in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But these work arrangements were originally designed for people with disabilities. For people with mobility issues or chronic illnesses, working from home can be a more accessible and comfortable option.

Swivel Peeler

The “Swivel Peeler” was originally designed by a woman with arthritis. Its ergonomic design made it easier for people with limited hand mobility to peel vegetables. Today, the Swivel Peeler is used and favoured universally due to its innovative design.

Electric Toothbrushes

Electric toothbrushes were first designed for people with limited motor skills. These brushes make it easier for people with disabilities to maintain good oral hygiene. Today, electric toothbrushes are used by people of all abilities, making it easier to keep our teeth clean and healthy.

Closed Captions

Captioning in media was originally designed for deaf and hard of hearing viewers but has since gone on to benefit people in noisy places, those watching international media in a language they don’t speak and to maintain concentration.

Conclusion

“The growth of the future will be catalysed by those who can transcend categories we impose on the world; who have the mental flexibility to bridge between domains; who see the walls that we construct between disciplines and thought silos and regard them not as immutable but movable, and even breakable.” Matthew Syed, Rebel Ideas

The goal of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts should not be to simply check a box or to appear politically correct.

It should be about recognising the value that different perspectives and experiences bring to the table, and actively seeking out those voices that might otherwise be overlooked.

By embracing diversity in all its forms and taking guidance from those often left out, companies can not only create a more inclusive and equitable work environment, but also tap into new markets and drive innovation.

What next?

1. Audit your perspective

One of the first steps we should take when looking to tackle tough challenges is to step back and ask, ‘what are the gaps in our collective understanding” and “what narratives have I overlooked or assumed?”

2. Practice curiosity and empathy

Empathy and inclusivity are ongoing processes with no end destination, but you can cultivate a mindset of each through continuous learning, staying informed about current social and cultural trends and diversifying the sources you gather information from.

3. Engage ethically

When engaging underrepresented groups, it’s important to do so with care. Develop an authentic, interpersonal relationship, be mindful of any power structures at play, and avoid extractive research methods that serve only your projects purpose.

Sources

Section: When does innovation occur?

• Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking — Matthew Syed
• Originals by Adam Grant
• The Talent Lab: The secret to finding, creating and sustaining success — Owen Slot
• The Second Machine Age — Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee
• Creating billion-dollar businesses through recombination — The Business of Social Games and Casino

Section: We are underestimating the potential of inclusive innovation

• “I’m not racist, but…” — Seriously Social
• Insecure by Design: Australia’s migration system and migrant workers’ job market experience — Migrant Workers Centre 2023 Report
• Research: Why Immigrants Are More Likely to Become Entrepreneurs — Harvard Business Review
• Judge Doesn’t Buy Uber’s Claims That It Is ‘Not a Transportation Company’ in ADA Suit — Law.com
• People with disability in Australia — Australian Institute of Health & Welfare
• The Curb-Cut Effect — Stanford Social Innovation Review
• The Disability Inclusion Advantage — Accenture 2018 Report
• New Queensland train delivery doomed ‘from day one’, inquiry chief declares — ABC News
• Advertisers Should Think of Accessibility as a Gateway to Creativity — AdWeek
• VR Is Here to Stay. It’s Time to Make It Accessible — Wired
• Research Justice: shifting from extractive study to humanized relationship — Duke Sanford