# Building your inclusive design toolkit — Maria Sereno — session 2026-08-28T00:30:00.000Z → 2026-08-28T01:00:00.000Z _474 transcript lines · 93 slides_ ## Transcript Like racism, sexism, ableism, trauma. As well as mental ill health and experiences of vulnerability. Inclusive design doesn't shy away from these topics. We actually face into them. But that doesn't mean that we should put our well-being at risk. So, please look after yourself If you need to step away or disengage, go for it. And, if you have any feedback about how I might deal with these in a more sensitive way, please, I'm all ears. Third, I use the word design a lot here. I know that there are often blurry lines, between UI, UX, service design. I'm a product designer and so basically greedy. We just say we want the whole thing and give it to us. And, you know, where does research even fit in? Gosh. Right after we had that research conference. But when I talk about design, I'm not talking about just you know, fussing around in Figma or Claude design or Miro. I'm talking about the approach. I'm talking about the process, the thinking that goes into it. The questions that we're asking so that we can intentionally create user experiences. So in that sense, I hope inclusive design is useful to all of us here. Similarly, I'm going to be choosing pragmatism over I'm a little bit self conscious because I know there's academics here and I'm using so much imprecise terminology. But in the interests of hoping that we can get coverage and at least build a working understanding of concepts, I may conflate some terms. Again, all feedback is welcome. Now let's begin. What's inclusive design? At its core, inclusive design is about asking more and better questions. But often we can get overwhelmed by the sheer breadth of the field. Now, I'm going to note that I won't talk about why we should do inclusive design. It's a very important discussion. Great talk, not this talk. We're going to go straight into how. And so we're going to talk about how we can ask more and better questions. To include the diversity of human experience and identities in our work. And in this regard, this entire presentation is a resource to hopefully enable you to practice inclusive design in a way that works for whatever project you're currently working on. So this presentation is part of a toolkit or a how to build your toolkit. I'm not going to throw it over the wall to you though. This talk is the handover instruction. The slides are the resource. So we want to fulfill as many human needs as possible. We want to leverage, you know, the technology that is available to us. But the truth is, that's more complicated than we may expect. May have heard from the talks earlier. And, often, inclusive design gets conflated with certain things. So I will say right now, inclusive design is not an accessibility compliance checklist. Just with a few more items about gender added on. It's not one solution fits all. And it's not optional. It is an intrinsic, mandatory part of user experience well. In fact, you can't say that your user experience is good if it isn't inclusive because what are what do you actually mean? Is it only good for people who don't have disability? So, we have a lot of standards like the digital inclusive standard, Microsoft has created this wonderful site for inclusive design. And Apple is famous for its accessibility. But, as UX practitioners, we're asking about why. We want to know the root cause. Right? So that we can design inclusively. So let's actually start at the problem of exclusion. Exclusion is our default. And if and here are some more terms that I kind of use as an umbrella for as falling under the umbrella of exclusion. You don't have to read through all of them. I'm just very pedantic. About these things. Now, if in exclusion we are not ready to fault, inclusive design wouldn't exist. It wouldn't be necessary. It would just be design. Accessibility would just be usability. You know, or part of functional specs that come with every product. All technology built in environments, digital products, and services would be created to accommodate all functional needs. Not some ideal perfect able body. And this would be happening at the very start. Without needing assessments, remediation, and plus Bria. A lot of arguing. Hours about null states. There are mountains of statistics that point to groups of people being excluded due to their identities. I'm not going to throw the numbers at you. You're welcome to look them up. They're For example, you can start at the gender pay gap or disability employment rates. But I will try and actually give you examples of how we can shift our thinking and how we can actually unearth the default assumptions that exist even in our own in our own thinking as design practitioners. It's because it's so pervasive that it shows up in our thinking, our processes, even our tools. So let's try a quick thought experiment. What does a successful business leader look like? The first image that flashes into your head. If you're authentic, you know, give me the first few descriptors, words, adjectives. What's their gender, what are they wearing? How old are they? I'll show you my result. Tada. Surprise. At the fourth My default successful business leader is a middle aged white man wearing a suit with traditional masculine presentation. Coincidentally, this was the first image result I got from Pexels. So, magic. I I will wager that many of us had a similar thought. Design doesn't occur in a vacuum. Our ideas and we ourselves are products of an environment that excludes by default. And this type of thing actually came up a while ago with Jen AI. Because it kept producing images like this when you know, you gave it similar prompts. It didn't represent the diversity in business, much less leadership in the real world. Which is completely unsurprising because it was trained on our data. Now, being able to identify and examine exclusion even when it's happening within our own thoughts. Is fundamental to inclusive design. Otherwise, we are just following guidelines that someone else wrote. We are just completing checklists, just longer checklists. With gender, and, you know, disability, somewhere there. We're not actually understanding where they come from, what they mean and how they apply to our world. So, what I'm going to try and do in the next twenty minutes is kind of give us a little bit of the knowledge that can inform that understanding. So, exclusion. Right? How does it happen? Are we just actually terrible people? No. It's Exclusion happens through systems. And people are systemically excluded on multiple basis for a number of factors like this list over here. And they are so deeply rooted in our systems that we can say, I don't see race. Oh, I am very open minded. I'm my best friend is gay. But you are an individual Exclusion is rooted in the system. And by the way, both of those things actually prove the opposite. But looking here, which ones do you recognize? Which ones do you relate to? Which ones have you experienced? And I wonder if there is anything here that surprises you. I because I would suggest that what you didn't expect to see in that list would be really good candidates to look into more after this talk. So I want to give you an actual working example of how exclusion shows up in the design of user experience. And I'm going to go for something that should be fairly easy. Right? And should be fairly accessible for it is something that many people do or need to do. Let's register a business name. So the first image on the left is a screenshot of the business .gov.au website. The center image is the ASIC page about business name registration. Both of these talk about how to register your business name. Both of these point to the website on the right, the far right. Which presents an extremely suboptimal user experience and because it is so tonally and fundamentally different from the previous two websites. Actually undermines trust. And, when I talk about trust, I'm referencing how users not just feel, but how secure or how much they can believe that what they are doing will number one, get them to their goal, but also number two, protect them and their data. This does not protect trust. And this design actually excludes on a lot of bases. For example, responsive layouts were overlooked, so, different screen sizes, People who don't have computers, I'm sorry but you are going to have a bad time. Accessibility was overlooked, so people who use assistive technology can't actually access it properly. I tried navigating it with my keyboard and I got lost. This site does not consider or try to minimize cognitive load, which is not just to process information, but also to figure out where to go. Like, if you take a closer look, I'm sorry that I can't zoom in right now for you, but the quick links is a S'mores board. It is extremely confusing, and I do not actually understand why it is there. And going back to trust, Think about the context of this. This is the Asic. There are a ton of scams targeting this exact website, impersonating it so that it can they can get money from people who want to register businesses. What is one of the things that we are taught to look for in scams? Does the site look junky? Does this site look junky? Yes. Thank you. And so, all this, you know, it it would impact someone with no experience of exclusion or no traits that are excluded because it's just horrible design. But it especially impacts people with lower literacy and tech literacy. Like, can you find the form that I am meant to use to search? It also would impact immigrants or people less unfamiliar with less familiar with Australian institutions and systems. Because how do government work? And especially people with particular reason to be wary of scams. Who or who have experienced financial vulnerability or who just have a lot of uncertainty in that space. This is the exact thing that is a little bit scary to look at, especially with that giant orange banner up the top. think of new business owners. This is the first time that you're doing this and then you suddenly get dragged here. And that does have significant overlap. With other excluded groups. For example, women and people in rural remote areas, people with disability, who tend to, struggle to find stable employment, and thus must must start their own businesses essentially and self employed. But wait. There's more. I tried actually using it because I did need to register a business name. And I want to note that apart from how we present information, and whether we design for assistive technologies, we can also exclude by designing the most rigid and unforgiving experiences. For example, when it comes to passwords, So, this password field, I tried clicking on the little help indicator and it gave me three lines that really got my lizard brain to panic. Because how does that even work? I I'm a reasonably well educated person, but I just my brain just shut down when I looked at it. And you'll note well, actually you can't see it but when you input your password, it actually doesn't show you what you've typed. And it doesn't give you an option to, show everything you've typed. So you have to remember, all these arcane rules somehow hope that your password, you know, satisfies them. And then you have to remember it and do it twice. Without making mistakes. And, this is this is an example of a potential failure that people cannot recover from. And when I say recover from, I mean people being able to or willing to try again. I am reasonably confident with technology. So, I did try again. But wait. There's more. This is what I got when I when I registered, you know. I filled in all of my information I got the password right, the, you know, email verification thingy. And I clicked on the link. I tried to log in. And it gave me this terrifying error message. Imagine what someone who has spent so much effort because it's unfamiliar, because they are really and rightly worried about getting scammed. Because they're not familiar with technology. But they they would spend a significant amount of time on this And then they try to log in, and this is what they get. So How many people do you think would give up out of frustration? By the way, there's a little help button there. I tried it. It is extremely useless in the sense that I just got more confused. I am tech literate, So, I was able to troubleshoot it. And I was able to figure out that the problem was not actually my username or my password. It was because a site was undergoing scheduled maintenance. So I had to Google, and I found it buried somewhere in the ASIC site, the schedule of the maintenance. And then I was able to figure, oh, it's not my fault. But think about how these patterns would impact people who are already disadvantaged. And when I say exclusion, we're talking about barriers that have real world impact. So we are making it more difficult for people who are already excluded to complete a crucial task for gaining economic advantage. So how can we designing directly translates into, who are we designing for? And this is where we can get really deli we can really learn to clarify our intentions. And this is a practice. But, no. My odd. What happened? Yeah. Sorry. Yeah. It fell. That's right. Yeah. There we go. Yeah. Thank you, Asi. But when we actually think of it in terms of humans, of people. Right? Because at the end of the day, it is actually people who are affected by this. And it is people that we are designing for. We think that we may say we think, we may even say that we're designing for everyone, but this long list is a list of the specific people for whom that experience would work. So, people with full vision. Great. People who don't need assistive technology. I'm sorry, screen reader users. People who are familiar with Australian systems. People with good literacy and numeracy, just compounding disadvantage. We can try to avoid overt discrimination. But unless we can actually ask the Sharp specific questions, we need ask, are just going to end up with experiences that are difficult. Distressing, and downright impossible for many people to successfully use. And that is harm. I actually initially drafted this slide as we can harm people, but thank you Mike Monteiro saying it with more swear words. We do harm people. I'm not gonna say that we destroy or that we have blood on our hands. That's Mike's. Thing, but we do cause real harm. And translating it again in terms of the people who are disproportionately impacted by this harm. This is a list of the people. Some some of these groups who may recognize from earlier. So what can we do about it? Well, for one thing, we can examine our assumptions and go from there. That is something we're already practicing in this talk. We can embed this critical examination into our design process. As part of, you know, ideation, thinking about the problem space. We can explicitly name these assumptions We can practice questioning, and we can consider the impact of our failure to design inclusively. And, of course, whenever possible, we want to do inclusive user research and consult and collaborate with people who are experts in those domains that we consider priority. Because there are a lot of domains. We cannot be experts in all of them even though we are greedy product designers. There are also more things that we can do to make inclusion not just a concept, but actually translate it into something that can make a difference. To the lived reality. So, can incorporate intersectionality. The first time I talked about intersectionality, everyone was scared because it sounds academic. It did originate in Baccadeen. It was formulated by Professor Kimberly Crenshaw, She wanted to examine the experience of black women in The USA. And theories of just race or just feminism. Did not give a full picture because the oppression experienced by black women is unique to that intersection of identity. That's a lot of academic words. Let's draw pictures. Here is intersectionality as applied to myself, just as a limited example. It's basically Venn diagrams. And I am in at the intersection. I'm queer, disabled, Filipino woman among other things. And, the thing that you'll note is that we cannot actually separate these things. Otherwise, I will cease to exist. I will not I I can't actually exist just in the disabled space or in the woman's space because that's not all I am. And that is why an intersectional lens is really important because otherwise, we're going to reduce people to categories again. Which is another form of compounding. You know, marginalization. Instead of thinking of people as whole humans, we just think of them as labels. But we can't actually detach These are not bundles of detachable labels. You have to take the whole thing and so you have to understand that complexity. We also need to center lived experience. So this is essentially I think this is something that should be quite natural for user experience practitioners to do because it's kind of our thing, when we do qualitative research. We listen to the people who aren't excluded, and we honor the weight of skin in the game. We don't idealize you know, neutrality or objectivity as though that is the measure of truth. We don't dismiss the voices of excluded people no matter how emotional or angry or passion passionate they can get. I once had a user interview where the participant said, whoever designed this shouldn't be a designer. That user interview lasted two and a half hours. And it is still one of my favorite user interviews and my favorite pieces of feedback that I got because this person was so angry about the damage that my design could cause people. And so, they actually went on to talk about it and I learned so much. It's also about this rallying cry that's often seen in disability rights. Which is nothing about us without us. We Because historically, and it continues to the present day, people who are marginalized or excluded get decisions made for them. We don't get to decide how we receive mental health care. The government who I don't know how many of them are familiar with the experience of being sectioned besides I wanna conclude by sharing that I will always advocate for lived experience. This is a full declaration of bias. I have lived experience of multiple intersections of exclusion. I've lost my home and my job due to homophobia. I've experienced financial vulnerability, domestic abuse, The horrors of immigration from a developing country to one of the richest countries in the world A six year journey to get my ADHD and autism diagnosis. And, I don't know how many incidents of racism, sexism, ableism, including that screaming meltdown on the tram. Also, I was discharged from mental hospital just a month ago. My sixth admission since 2025. Now, throughout all those times, I wasn't thinking, gosh, I sure wish that this service was designed with lived experience. What I act just actually just felt was this really strong need. To be treated as though I mattered. As though my life mattered. As though I were a fellow human being. The face of lived experience is human. And this is why I encourage you to put it at the center of your inclusive design work embed it into your design practice because it's more needed now than ever. I had 23 slides to go. They are massive walls of text, but I was prepared to not have time to go through them all. They are me digging deeper, and asking specific questions that have to do with those facets of exclusion that we talked about earlier. There are also links that are a mix of resources and random interesting things. So, I very very much encourage you, please check it out. I will upload this slide to the Bitly link right after this talk. And then I will fill in the fake transcript so that I can pretend I was more eloquent than I turned out to be. But please think about how your assumptions shape your design. And please do consider how we might listen and design in a way that affirms people's humanity. Thank you. Thank you, Maria. Are you willing to take your question? Yeah? I thought I thought I was getting kicked off. No. No. No. No. No. I'm not gonna kick you off. We've got a question up there if we could. ## Slides ### 00:00:09 # QUICKSTART ### Context-setting - Transcript available to read during and after. - Will discuss sensitive topics, fraught social issues, and possibly distressing scenarios. - A broad definition of design. Pragmatic > perfect. ### Not the why, the **how**. This won't be about why you should design inclusively. We'll talk about how you can apply inclusive design directly to your current work. ### Toolkit = approach + tools. Foundational concepts, starting points for questions to shape your research and design decisions, and links to further reading. https://bit.ly/inclusive-design-toolkit [QR code linking to https://bit.ly/inclusive-design-toolkit] ### 00:00:32 # QUICKSTART ## Context-setting - Transcript available to read during and after. - Will discuss sensitive topics, fraught social issues, and possibly distressing scenarios. - A broad definition of design. Pragmatic > perfect. ## Not the why, the how. This won't be about why you should design inclusively. We'll talk about how you can apply inclusive design directly to your current work. ## Toolkit = approach + tools. Foundational concepts, starting points for questions to shape your research and design decisions, and links to further reading. https://bit.ly/inclusive-design-toolkit [QR code linking to https://bit.ly/inclusive-design-toolkit] ### 00:00:56 ### QUICKSTART ### Context-setting - Transcript available to read during and after. - Will discuss sensitive topics, fraught social issues, and possibly distressing scenarios. - A broad definition of design. Pragmatic > perfect. ### Not the why, the how. This won't be about why you should design inclusively. We'll talk about how you can apply inclusive design directly to your current work. ### Toolkit = approach + tools. Foundational concepts, starting points for questions to shape your research and design decisions, and links to further reading. https://bit.ly/inclusive-design-toolkit [QR code linking to https://bit.ly/inclusive-design-toolkit] ### 00:01:17 # QUICKSTART ## Context-setting - Transcript available to read during and after. - Will discuss sensitive topics, fraught social issues, and possibly distressing scenarios. - A broad definition of ### 00:01:44 Maria Sereno Building your inclusive design toolkit UX Australia 2026 ## APPROACH: THE FOUNDATIONS # Inclusive design is design that includes the full breadth of human diversity and ### 00:02:08 ### Maria Sereno ### Building your inclusive design toolkit ### UX Australia 2026 ## APPROACH: THE FOUNDATIONS # Inclusive design is design that includes the full breadth of human diversity and experience. It considers how we might **fulfill as many human needs as possible**, especially those needs that have historically not been met. Further reading: - Digital Inclusion Standard - Microsoft Inclusive Design - Apple Human Interface Guidelines - Inclusive Design - IxDF ### 00:02:32 ### APPROACH: THE FOUNDATIONS # Inclusive design is design that includes the full breadth of human diversity and experience. It considers how we might **fulfill as many human needs as possible**, especially those needs that have historically not been met. ### Further reading: - Digital Inclusion Standard - Microsoft Inclusive Design - Apple Human Interface Guidelines - Inclusive Design - IxDF ### 00:02:53 ### APPROACH: THE FOUNDATIONS # Inclusive design is design that includes the full breadth of human diversity and experience. It considers how we might **fulfill as many human needs as possible**, especially those needs that have historically not been met. Further reading: - Digital Inclusion Standard - Microsoft Inclusive Design - Apple Human Interface Guidelines - Inclusive Design - IxDF ### 00:03:14 # APPROACH: THE FOUNDATIONS ## Inclusive design is design that includes the full breadth of human diversity and experience. It considers how we might **fulfill as many human needs as possible**, especially those needs that have historically not been met. ### Further reading: - Digital Inclusion Standard - Microsoft Inclusive Design - Apple Human Interface Guidelines - Inclusive Design - IxDF ### 00:03:15 ### APPROACH: THE FOUNDATIONS ## Inclusive design is design that includes the full breadth of human diversity and experience. It considers how we might **fulfill as many human needs as possible**, especially those needs that have historically not been met. Further reading: - Digital Inclusion Standard - Microsoft Inclusive Design - Apple Human Interface Guidelines - Inclusive Design - IxDF ### 00:03:36 ## Inclusive design APPROACH: THE FOUNDATIONS is design that includes the full breadth of human diversity and experience. It considers how we might **fulfill as many human needs as possible**, especially those needs that have historically not been met. ### Further reading: - Digital Inclusion Standard - Microsoft Inclusive Design - Apple Human Interface Guidelines - Inclusive Design - IxDF ### 00:03:57 ## Inclusive design is design that includes the full breadth of human diversity and experience. It considers how we might **fulfill as many human needs as possible**, especially those needs that have historically not been met. ### Further reading: - Digital Inclusion Standard - Microsoft Inclusive Design - Apple Human Interface Guidelines - Inclusive Design - IxDF ### 00:04:17 # Inclusive design is design that includes the full breadth of human diversity and experience. It considers how we might **fulfill as many human needs as possible**, especially those needs that have historically not ### 00:04:40 ## APPROACH: ON EXCLUSION Exclusion* is our default. *I'm using this as a catch-all for: - marginalisation - societal discrimination, bias, intolerance - structural injustice - systemic oppression - institutional prejudice There are differences in framework – but the functional end result is the same. ### 00:05:03 Maria Sereno Building your inclusive design toolkit UX Australia 2026 ## APPROACH: ON EXCLUSION If exclusion were not the default- Inclusive design wouldn't exist. It would just be design. Accessibility wouldn't exist. It would just be usability. ### 00:05:16 ## APPROACH: ON EXCLUSION If exclusion were not the default- **Inclusive design wouldn't exist.** It would just be **design.** **Accessibility wouldn't exist.** It would just be **usability.** ### 00:05:40 ### APPROACH: ON EXCLUSION If exclusion were not the default- **Inclusive design** wouldn't exist. It would just be **design**. **Accessibility** wouldn't exist. It would just be **usability**. ### 00:06:01 ### Maria Sereno ### Building your inclusive design toolkit ### UX Australia 2026 ## APPROACH: ON EXCLUSION If exclusion were not the default- Inclusive design wouldn't ### 00:06:17 # Building your inclusive design toolkit ### Maria Sereno ## APPROACH: ON EXCLUSION If exclusion were not the default- Inclusive design wouldn't exist. It would just be design. Accessibility wouldn't exist. It would just be usability. ### 00:06:40 ### APPROACH: ON EXCLUSION #### A thought experiment Imagine a **successful business leader.** What do they look like? ### 00:07:05 # A thought experiment ## APPROACH: ON EXCLUSION Imagine a **successful business leader.** What do they look like? Spoiler: this isn't a true thought experiment. The world we live in, the devices we use, our apps and tools — they're all products of a similar question, asked millions of times. People asked, "who is the user?" Persistently, inevitably, exclusion surfaces in the aggregate of the answers. [Image of a man in a suit with arms crossed, in an office setting with papers flying around] ### 00:07:32 ## APPROACH: ON EXCLUSION ### A thought experiment Imagine a **successful business leader.** What do they look like? > Spoiler: this isn't a true thought experiment. The world we live in, the devices we use, our apps and tools — they're all products of a similar question, asked millions of times. People asked, "who is the user?" > > Persistently, inevitably, exclusion surfaces in the aggregate of the answers. [Photo of a man in a suit with his arms crossed, smiling, in an office with papers flying around] ### 00:07:58 ### APPROACH: ON EXCLUSION ## A thought experiment Imagine a successful business leader. What do they look like? Spoiler: this isn't a true thought experiment. The world we live in, the devices we use, our apps and tools — they're all products of a similar question, asked millions of times. People asked, "who is the user?" Persistently, inevitably, exclusion surfaces in the aggregate of the answers. [Image of a man in a suit with his arms crossed, standing in an office with papers flying around] ### 00:08:16 ### Maria Sereno ### Building your inclusive design toolkit ## APPROACH: ON EXCLUSION Exclusion is our default. If we understand exclusion we can design for inclusion. ### 00:08:19 ### APPROACH: ON EXCLUSION Exclusion is our default. If we understand exclusion we can design for inclusion. ### 00:08:41 ### APPROACH: ON EXCLUSION Exclusion is our default. If we understand exclusion we can design for inclusion. ### 00:09:02 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## Exclusion happens through systems People are **systemically** excluded on multiple bases, for example: - disability - age - faith - gender, sex, sexual orientation - race, ethnicity, ancestry - culture, language - place of birth, migration status - socioeconomic status - geographical location - education, literacy - tech access & fluency - criminal record - medical record - housing status - trauma - and so much more. *Systemically? Not a typo. It means it happens through the entirety of the system. ### 00:09:17 # APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## Exclusion happens through systems People are **systemically** excluded on multiple bases, for example: - disability - age - faith - gender, sex, sexual orientation - race, ethnicity, ancestry - culture, language - place of birth, migration status - socioeconomic status - geographical location - education, literacy - tech access & fluency - criminal record - medical record - housing status - trauma - and so much more. *Systemically? Not a typo. It means it happens through the entirety of the system. ### 00:09:24 # APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## Exclusion happens through systems People are **systemically** excluded on multiple bases, for example: - disability - age - faith - gender, sex, sexual orientation - race, ethnicity, ancestry - culture, language - place of birth, migration status - socioeconomic status - geographical location - education, literacy - tech access & fluency - criminal record - medical record - housing status - trauma - and so much more. *Systemically? Not a typo. It means it happens through the entirety of the system. ### 00:09:47 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## Exclusion happens through systems People are **systemically** excluded on multiple bases, for example: - disability - age - faith - gender, sex, sexual orientation - race, ethnicity, ancestry - culture, language - place of birth, migration status - socioeconomic status - geographical location - education, literacy - tech access & fluency - criminal record - medical record - housing status - trauma - and so much more. *Systemically? Not a typo. It means it happens through the entirety of the system. ### 00:10:11 # APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## Exclusion happens through systems People are **systemically** excluded on multiple bases, for example: - disability - age - faith - gender, sex, sexual orientation - race, ethnicity, ancestry - culture, language - place of birth, migration status - socioeconomic status - geographical location - education, literacy - tech access & fluency - criminal record - medical record - housing status - trauma - and so much more. *Systemically? Not a typo. It means it happens through the entirety of the system. ### 00:10:15 # APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## Exclusion happens through systems People are **systemically** excluded on multiple bases, for example: - disability - age - faith - gender, sex, sexual orientation - race, ethnicity, ancestry - culture, language - place of birth, migration status - socioeconomic status - geographical location - education, literacy - tech access & fluency - criminal record - medical record - housing status - trauma - and so much more. *Systemically? Not a typo. It means it happens through the entirety of the system. ### 00:10:37 # APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## How are we designing? For example: registering a business name. Image X. A screenshot of the business.gov.au website, with guidance ### 00:11:01 # APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## How are we designing? For example: registering a business name. A screenshot of the **business.gov.au** website, with guidance on how to register your business name. It links you to an entirely different website to check your business name availability. A screenshot of the **ASIC** page about **business name registration**. It also sends you to the ASIC Connect website to register your business name. The **ASIC Connect** website, presenting a suboptimal user experience **and** – because of the shift from either of the previous websites – undermining trust. [Screenshot of the business.gov.au website showing a form to register a business name] [Screenshot of ### 00:11:17 Maria Sereno Building your inclusive design toolkit UX Australia 2026 # APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## How are we designing? For example: registering a business name. Image X. A screenshot of the **business.gov.au** website, with guidance on how to register your business name. It links you to an entirely different website to check your business name availability. Image X. A screenshot of the **ASIC page about business name registration**. It also sends you to the ASIC Connect website to register your business name. Image X. The **ASIC Connect website**, presenting a suboptimal user experience and – because of the shift from either of the previous websites – undermining trust. [Screenshot of the business.gov.au website showing "Register your business name"] [Screenshot of the ASIC website showing "Business names" registration] [Screenshot of the ASIC Connect website with a warning message and search for business names register] ### 00:11:23 Maria Sereno Building your inclusive design toolkit UX Australia 2026 # APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## How are we designing? For example: registering a business name. Image X. A screenshot of the **business.gov.au** website, with guidance on how to register your business name. It links you to an entirely different website to check your business name availability. Image X. A screenshot of the **ASIC page about business name registration**. It also sends you to the ASIC Connect website to register your business name. Image X. The **ASIC Connect website**, presenting a suboptimal user experience and – because of the shift from either of the previous websites – undermining trust. [Screenshot of the business.gov.au website showing "Register your business name"] [Screenshot of the ASIC website showing "Business names" registration] [Screenshot of the ASIC Connect website with a warning message and search for business names register] ### 00:11:46 ## APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## What did the design miss? Things that were overlooked: - responsive layouts that adapt to different screen sizes - accessibility: colour contrast, keyboard navigation, assistive technology, labels and headings, etc - cognitive load - not just to process all the information on the screen, but to figure out where to go (quick links smorgasbord) - the importance of establishing trust, especially given the context of scams targeting small business owners and numerous websites impersonating ASIC; this would especially impact: o people with lower literacy and tech literacy o immigrants, people less familiar with Australian institutions and systems o people with particular reason to be wary of scams - past history / experience, financial vulnerability, other personal circumstances o new business owners - which may have significant overlaps with other excluded groups, including women, people in rural or remote areas, people with disability [Screenshot of the ASIC Connect website, with a caption noting the "Quick Links" section in the sidebar] ### 00:12:10 ## APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # What did the design miss? Things that were overlooked: - responsive layouts that adapt to different screen sizes - accessibility: colour contrast, keyboard navigation, assistive technology, labels and headings, etc - cognitive load - not just to process all the information on the screen, but to figure out where to go (quick links smorgasbord) - the importance of establishing trust, especially given the context of scams targeting small business owners and numerous websites impersonating ASIC; this would especially impact: - people with lower literacy and tech literacy - immigrants, people less familiar with Australian institutions and systems - people with particular reason to be wary of scams – past history / experience, financial vulnerability, other personal circumstances - new business owners – which may have significant overlaps with other excluded groups, including women, people in rural or remote areas, people with disability [Screenshot of the ASIC Connect website, with a caption noting the " ### 00:12:15 ### Maria Sereno ### Building your inclusive design toolkit ### UX Australia 2026 ## APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # What did the design miss? Things that ### 00:12:42 Maria Sereno Building your inclusive design toolkit UX Australia 2026 ## APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # What did the design miss? Things that were overlooked: - responsive layouts that adapt to different screen sizes - accessibility: colour contrast, keyboard navigation, assistive technology, labels and headings, etc - cognitive load - not just to process all the information on the screen, but to figure out where to go (quick links smorgasbord) - the importance of establishing trust, especially given the context of scams targeting small business owners and numerous websites impersonating ASIC; this would especially impact: - people with lower literacy and tech literacy - immigrants, people less familiar with Australian institutions and systems - people with particular reason to be wary of scams – past history / experience, financial vulnerability, other personal circumstances - new business owners – which may have significant overlaps with other excluded groups, including women, people in rural or remote areas, people with disability [Screenshot of the ASIC Connect website, highlighting the "Quick Links" section in the sidebar] ### 00:13:05 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # What did the design miss? Things that were overlooked: - responsive layouts that adapt to different screen sizes - accessibility: colour contrast, keyboard navigation, assistive technology, labels and headings, etc - cognitive load - not just to process all the information on the screen, but to figure out where to go (quick links smorgasbord) - the importance of establishing trust, especially given the context of scams targeting small business owners and numerous websites impersonating ASIC; this would especially impact: - people with lower literacy and tech literacy - immigrants, people less familiar with Australian institutions and systems - people with particular reason to be wary of scams - past history / experience, financial vulnerability, other personal circumstances - new business owners - which may have significant overlaps with other excluded groups, including women, people in rural or remote areas, people with disability [Screenshot of the ASIC Connect website, highlighting the "Quick Links" section in the sidebar] ### 00:13:17 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # What did the design miss? Things that were overlooked: - responsive layouts that adapt to different screen sizes - accessibility: colour contrast, keyboard navigation, assistive technology, labels and headings, etc - cognitive load - not just to process all the information on the screen, but to figure out where to go (quick links smorgasbord) - the importance of establishing trust, especially given the context of scams targeting small business owners and numerous websites impersonating ASIC; this would especially impact: - people with lower literacy and tech literacy - immigrants, people less familiar with Australian institutions and systems - people with particular reason to be wary of scams – past history / experience, financial vulnerability, other personal circumstances - new business owners – which may have significant overlaps with other excluded groups, including women, people in rural or remote areas, people with disability [Screenshot of the ASIC Connect website, highlighting the "Quick Links" section in the sidebar] ### 00:13:39 Maria Sereno Building your inclusive design toolkit UX Australia 2026 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # What did the design miss? Things that were overlooked: ### 00:14:03 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # What did the design miss? Things that were overlooked: - responsive layouts that adapt to different screen sizes - accessibility: colour contrast, keyboard navigation, assistive technology, labels and headings, etc - cognitive load – not just to process all the information on the screen, but to figure out where to go (quick links smorgasbord) - the importance of establishing trust, especially given the context of scams targeting small business owners and numerous websites impersonating ASIC; this would especially impact: - people with lower literacy and tech literacy - immigrants, people less familiar with Australian institutions and systems - people with particular reason to be wary of scams – past history / experience, financial vulnerability, other personal circumstances - new business owners – which may have significant overlaps with other excluded groups, including women, people in rural or remote areas, people with disability [Screenshot of the ASIC Connect website, highlighting the "Quick Links" section in the sidebar] ### 00:14:17 # APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## What did the design miss? Things that were overlooked: - responsive layouts that adapt to different screen sizes - accessibility: colour contrast, keyboard navigation, assistive technology, labels and headings, etc - cognitive load – not just to process all the information on the screen, but to figure out where to go (quick links smorgasbord) - the importance of establishing trust, especially given the context of scams targeting small business owners and numerous websites impersonating ASIC; this would especially impact: - people with lower literacy and tech literacy - immigrants, people less familiar with Australian institutions and systems - people with particular reason to be wary of scams – past history / experience, financial vulnerability, other personal circumstances - new business owners – which may have significant overlaps with other excluded groups, including women, people in rural or remote areas, people with disability Image X. The ASIC Connect website. Note the "Quick Links" section in the sidebar. [Screenshot of the ASIC Connect website, showing search fields, business name register links, and a "Quick Links" sidebar] ### 00:14:24 # APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## What did the design miss? Things that were overlooked: - responsive layouts that adapt to different screen sizes - accessibility: colour contrast, ### 00:14:52 ## APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # What did the design miss? Things that were overlooked: - responsive layouts that adapt to different screen sizes - accessibility: colour contrast, keyboard navigation, assistive technology, labels and headings, etc - cognitive load – not just to process all the information on the screen, but to figure out where to go (quick links smorgasbord) - the importance of establishing trust, especially given the context of scams targeting small business owners and numerous websites impersonating ASIC; this would especially impact: - people with lower literacy and tech literacy - immigrants, people less familiar with Australian institutions and systems - people with particular reason to be wary of scams – past history / experience, financial vulnerability, other personal circumstances - new business owners – which may have significant ### 00:15:16 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## How are we designing? Apart from the presentation of information, we can also exclude by designing rigid, unforgiving experiences that: - make ### 00:15:40 ## How are we designing? ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE Apart from the presentation of information, we can also exclude by designing rigid, unforgiving experiences that: - make it difficult ### 00:16:04 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # How are we designing? Apart from the presentation of information, we can also exclude by designing rigid, unforgiving experiences that: - make ### 00:16:17 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # How are we designing? Apart from the presentation of information, we can also exclude by designing rigid, unforgiving experiences that: - make it difficult ( ### 00:16:41 # APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## How are we designing? Apart from the presentation of information, we can also exclude by designing rigid, unforgiving experiences that: - make it difficult (or impossible ### 00:17:06 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # How are we designing? Failure states should communicate as clearly as possible, and offer assistance or troubleshooting guidance. It is highly likely that this error message appeared ### 00:17:18 ## APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # How are we designing? Failure states should communicate as clearly as possible, and offer assistance or troubleshooting guidance. It is highly likely that this error message appeared due to site maintenance. I was only able to figure this out because I had enough tech literacy to: - try resetting my password and logging in (didn't work) - search in ASIC and search engines (plus reddit) for whether other users had encountered a similar problem [Screenshot of a login error message saying "Invalid username or password. Please try again." with a "Back to login" button. A caption explains it's an error screen for ASIC Connect failed login, likely due to site maintenance, and notes the lack of explanation or help on the page.] ### 00:17:40 ## APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # How are we designing? Failure states should communicate as clearly as possible, and offer assistance or troubleshooting guidance. It is highly likely that this error message appeared ### 00:18:05 ## APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # How are we designing? Failure states should communicate as clearly as possible, and offer assistance or troubleshooting guidance. It is highly likely that this error message appeared due to site maintenance. I was only able to figure this out because I had enough tech literacy to: - try resetting my password and logging in (didn't work) - search in ASIC and search engines (plus reddit) for whether other users had encountered a similar problem Image X. The error screen for ASIC Connect failed login. This is what I saw after my first attempt to log in with my new account. Note that I probably encountered this screen because the site went down for maintenance. Nowhere in the page does that explanation, or indeed any help with login, appear. [Screenshot of a login error message saying "Invalid username or password. Please try again." with a "Back to login" button] ### 00:18:16 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # How are we designing? Failure states should communicate as clearly as possible, and offer assistance or troubleshooting guidance. It is highly likely that this ### 00:18:40 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # How are we designing? Failure states should communicate as clearly as possible, and offer assistance or troubleshooting guidance. It is highly likely that this error message appeared due to site maintenance. I was only able to figure this out because I had enough tech literacy to: - try resetting my password and logging in (didn't work) - search in ASIC and search engines (plus reddit) for whether other users had encountered a similar problem [Screenshot of an error message from ASIC Connect login, stating "Invalid username or password. Please try again." with a "Back to login" button. The accompanying text explains that this screen was likely due to site maintenance, but the page offered no explanation or help.] ### 00:19:02 ## APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # How are we designing? # Who are we designing for? People with full vision. People who don't need assistive technology to use digital products. People who are familiar with Australian institutions and systems. People who have registered a business name before. People with good literacy and numeracy. People who have good enough hand-eye coordination, focus, and memory. People who can afford the cognitive load requirements. People who can navigate arcane help wikis and redundant instructions. People who are confident enough in their scam-spotting ### 00:19:17 # WEB DIRECTIONS UX AUSTRALIA ## SYDNEY AUGUST 2026 [Logo for UX Australia, depicting the letters UX as two interlocking puzzle pieces] ### 00:19:41 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## How are we designing? [Downward arrow] ## Who are we designing for? People with full vision. People who don't need assistive technology to use digital products. People who are familiar with Australian institutions and systems. People who have registered a business name before. People with good literacy and numeracy. People who have good enough hand-eye coordination, focus, and memory. People who can afford the cognitive load requirements. People with high tech literacy. People who can navigate arcane help wikis and redundant instructions. People who are confident enough in their scam-spotting savvy, understanding of business, and financial position to know how to keep themselves safe. **People who know what they're doing.** [Downward arrow graphic] ### 00:20:04 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## How are we designing? [Downward arrow] ## Who are we designing for? People with full vision. People who don't need assistive technology to use digital products. People who are familiar with Australian institutions and systems. People who have registered a business name before. People with good literacy and numeracy. People who have good enough hand-eye coordination, focus, and memory. People who can afford the cognitive load requirements. People who can navigate arcane help wikis and redundant instructions. People who are confident enough in their scam-spotting savvy, understanding of business, and financial position to know how to keep themselves safe. **People who know what they're doing.** ### 00:20:17 ### Maria Sereno ### Building your inclusive design toolkit ### UX Australia 2026 ## APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE # How are we designing? # Who are we designing for? People with full vision. People who don't need assistive technology to use digital products. People who are familiar with Australian institutions and systems. People who have registered a business name before. People with good literacy and numeracy. People who have good enough hand-eye coordination, focus, and memory. People who can afford the cognitive load requirements. People with high tech literacy. People who can navigate arcane help wikis and redundant instructions. People who are confident enough in their scam-spotting savvy, understanding of business, and financial position to know how to keep themselves safe. **People who know what they're doing.** [Downwards arrow connecting two questions] ### 00:20:38 ### APPROACH: HOW WE EXCLUDE ## How are we designing? ## Who are we designing for? People with full vision. People who don't need assistive technology to use digital products ### 00:21:02 ### APPROACH: ON HARM We can harm people. Suggested reading: - Ruined by Design - Mike Monteiro - Tragic Design - Jonathan Shariat & Cynthia Savard Saucier - Technically Wrong - Sara Wachter-Boettcher ### 00:21:18 ## APPROACH: ON HARM # We harm people. ### This harm disproportionately affects: - people with disability, including people living with chronic illness and poor mental health - elderly people; minors - people with non-dominant or minoritised religions, e.g. Muslim and Jewish people - women; non-binary, genderqueer, agender people and other people with diverse genders - trans and intersex people - lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, asexual people and other people outside heterosexual norms - people of colour; culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people; people with non-Western / Global South heritage or ancestry - people who don't speak English as a first language; Auslan speakers; "non-prestige" accents - First Nations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - people with low socioeconomic status or who are experiencing financial hardship - people in remote or rural areas; residents of low socioeconomic or low infrastructure areas; residents of developing countries - people with low levels of education, literacy, or numeracy - people who cannot easily access or operate technology - people with a criminal record; who have been incarcerated or confined - people whose medical records contain stigmatised illness, diagnosis, or incidents / behaviour - people experiencing vulnerability, including domestic abuse, housing insecurity ### 00:21:22 ## APPROACH: ON HARM # We harm people. ### This harm disproportionately affects: - people with disability, including people living with chronic illness and poor mental health - elderly people; minors - people with non-dominant or minoritised religions, e.g. Muslim and Jewish people - women; non-binary, genderqueer, agender people and other people with diverse genders - trans and intersex people - lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, asexual people and other people outside heterosexual norms - people of colour; culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people; people with non-Western / Global South heritage or ancestry - people who don't speak English as a first language; Auslan speakers; "non-prestige" accents - First Nations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - people with low socioeconomic status or who are experiencing financial hardship - people in remote or rural areas; residents of low socioeconomic or low infrastructure areas; residents of developing countries - people with low levels of education, literacy, or numeracy - people who cannot easily access or operate technology - people with a criminal record; who have been incarcerated or confined - people whose medical records contain stigmatised illness, diagnosis, or incidents / behaviour - people experiencing vulnerability, including domestic abuse, housing insecurity ### 00:21:44 ## APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ### Examine our assumptions – and go from there. Embed critical examination into our process: - explicitly name the assumptions we may be making and any historical defaults - ask questions to examine who is being excluded (and how) – and how we might include them - consider the impact and harm of exclusion – both historical, and in consequence Whenever possible, do inclusive user research; consult and collaborate with subject matter experts for priority domains. This approach should adapt to constraints and the scale and scope of the design problem. ### 00:22:06 ## APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ### **Examine our assumptions – and go from there.** Embed critical examination into our process: - explicitly name the assumptions we may be making and any historical defaults - ask questions to examine who is being excluded (and how) – and how we might include them - consider the impact and harm of exclusion – both historical, and in consequence Whenever possible, do inclusive user research; consult and collaborate with subject matter experts for priority domains. This approach should adapt to constraints and the scale and scope of the design problem. ### 00:22:32 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Examine our assumptions – and go from there. Embed critical examination into our process: - explicitly name the assumptions we may be making and any historical defaults - ask questions to examine who is being excluded (and how) – and how we might include them - consider the impact and harm of exclusion – both historical, and in consequence Whenever possible, do inclusive user research; consult and collaborate with subject matter experts for priority domains. This approach should adapt to constraints and the scale and scope of the design problem. ### 00:22:54 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Incorporate **Intersectionality** Account for nuance and complexity: layers of exclusion can change the degree and severity of impact to user experience. - Intersectionality explained An analytical framework for understanding that people's different, overlapping identities result in unique combinations of exclusion and inclusion. We consider these factors in combination – not in isolation. ## Background Professor ### 00:23:17 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Incorporate **Intersectionality** Account for nuance and complexity: layers of exclusion can change the degree and severity of impact to user experience. - Intersectionality explained An analytical framework for understanding that people's different, overlapping identities result in unique combinations of exclusion and inclusion. We consider these factors in combination – not in isolation. ### Background Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw created this framework in 1989 to examine the oppression experienced by African-American women – neither race nor gender alone gave a complete picture, but their intersection was unique. ### Why does this matter? Designing without an intersectional lens: - flattens human experience - renders our work ineffective - compounds disadvantage and harm People are whole human beings – not bundles of detachable labels. ### 00:23:41 [Venn diagram showing four overlapping circles labeled "Queer", "Disabled", "Filipino", and "Woman". The name "Maria" is in the central intersection of all four circles.] ### 00:24:02 [Venn diagram with four overlapping circles labeled "Queer", "Disabled", "Filipino", and "Woman". The central intersection of all four circles is labeled "Maria".] ### 00:24:16 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Incorporate **Intersectionality** Account for nuance and complexity: layers of exclusion can change the degree and severity of impact to user experience. - Intersectionality explained An analytical framework for understanding that people's different, overlapping identities result in unique combinations of exclusion and inclusion. We consider these factors in combination – not in isolation. ### **Background** Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw created this framework in 1989 to examine the oppression experienced by African-American women – neither race nor gender alone gave a complete picture, but their intersection was unique. ### **Why does this matter?** Designing without an intersectional lens: - flattens human experience - renders our work ineffective - compounds disadvantage and harm People are whole human beings – not bundles of detachable labels. ### 00:24:22 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Incorporate **Intersectionality** Account for nuance and complexity: layers of exclusion can change the degree and severity of impact to user experience. - Intersectionality explained An analytical framework for understanding that people's different, overlapping identities result in unique combinations of exclusion and inclusion. We consider these factors in combination – not in isolation. ### **Background** Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw created this framework in 1989 to examine the oppression experienced by African-American women – neither race nor gender alone gave a complete picture, but their intersection was unique. ### **Why does this matter?** Designing without an intersectional lens: - flattens human experience - renders our work ineffective - compounds disadvantage and harm People are whole human beings – not bundles of detachable labels. ### 00:24:44 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Incorporate **Intersectionality** Account for nuance and complexity: layers of exclusion can change the degree and severity of impact to user experience. - Intersectionality explained An analytical framework for understanding that people's different, overlapping identities result in unique combinations of exclusion and inclusion. We consider these factors in combination – not in isolation. ### **Background** Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw created this framework in 1989 to examine the oppression experienced by African-American women – neither race nor gender alone gave a complete picture, but their intersection was unique. ### **Why does this matter?** Designing without an intersectional lens: - flattens human experience - renders our work ineffective - compounds disadvantage and harm People are whole human beings – not bundles of detachable labels. ### 00:25:07 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Centre **Lived experience** Listen to the people who are excluded, honour the weight of "skin in the game." Never dismiss their voices in favour of assumptions acquired from a distance. - [https://whoseknowledge.org/](https://whoseknowledge.org/) - [https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/lived-experience](https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/lived-experience) Firsthand knowledge gained from personal experience as a systemically excluded person. Or: what we're trying to understand via qualitative research. ### **Background** Often used in the context of mental health, addiction & substance abuse, and disability, but applies broadly to all aspects of exclusion. ### **Centring the people who are excluded** - Doesn't idealise neutrality - Recognises that the knowledge of having lived through (and living with) experiences of exclusion is crucial to expand our understanding and design inclusively - Aids in destigmatising excluded identities and experiences "Nothing about us without us" Also, "nothing about us, or for us, without us" – agency, self-determination, and representation for people who are marginalised and excluded ### 00:25:32 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Centre Lived experience Listen to the people who are excluded, honour the weight of "skin in the game." Never dismiss their voices in favour of assumptions acquired from a distance. - https://whoseknowledge.org/ - https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/lived-experience Firsthand knowledge gained from personal experience as a systemically excluded person. Or: what we're trying to understand via qualitative research. ### Background Often used in the context of mental health, addiction & substance abuse, and disability, but applies broadly to all aspects of exclusion. ### Centring the people who are excluded - Doesn't idealise neutrality - Recognises that the knowledge of having lived through (and living with) experiences of exclusion is crucial to expand our understanding and design inclusively - Aids in destigmatising excluded identities and experiences ### "Nothing about us without us" Also, "nothing about us, or for us, without us" – agency, self-determination, and representation for people who are marginalised and excluded ### 00:25:55 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Centre **Lived experience** Listen to the people who are excluded, honour the weight of "skin in the game." Never dismiss their voices in favour of assumptions acquired from a distance. - https://whoseknowledge.org/ - https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/lived-experience Firsthand knowledge gained from personal experience as a systemically excluded person. Or: what we're trying to understand via qualitative research. ### **Background** Often used in the context of mental health, addiction & substance abuse, and disability, but applies broadly to all aspects of exclusion. ### **Centring the people who are excluded** - Doesn't idealise neutrality - Recognises that the knowledge of having lived through (and living with) experiences of exclusion is crucial to expand our understanding and design inclusively - Aids in destigmatising excluded identities and experiences "**Nothing about us without us**" Also, "nothing about us, or for us, without us" – agency, self-determination, and representation for people who are marginalised and excluded ### 00:26:17 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Centre **Lived experience** Listen to the people who are excluded, honour the weight of “skin in the game.” Never dismiss their voices in favour of assumptions acquired from a distance. - https://whoseknowledge.org/ - https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/lived-experience Firsthand knowledge gained from personal experience as a systemically excluded person. Or: what we're trying to understand via qualitative research. ### **Background** Often used in the context of mental health, addiction & substance abuse, and disability, but applies broadly to all aspects of exclusion. ### **Centring the people who are excluded** - Doesn't idealise neutrality - Recognises that the knowledge of having lived through (and living with) experiences of exclusion is crucial to expand our understanding and design inclusively - Aids in destigmatising excluded identities and experiences ### **"Nothing about us without us"** Also, “nothing about us, or for us, without us” – agency, self ### 00:26:19 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Centre **Lived experience** Listen to the people who are excluded, honour the weight of "skin in the game." Never dismiss their voices in favour of ### 00:26:43 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Centre **Lived experience** Listen to the people who are excluded, honour the weight of "skin in the game." Never dismiss their voices in favour of assumptions acquired from a distance. - https://whoseknowledge.org/ - https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/lived-experience Firsthand knowledge gained from personal experience as a systemically excluded person. Or: what we're trying to understand via qualitative research. ### **Background** Often used in the context of mental health, addiction & substance abuse, and disability, but applies broadly to all aspects of exclusion. ### **Centring the people who are excluded** - Doesn't idealise neutrality - Recognises that the knowledge of having lived through (and living with) experiences of exclusion is crucial to expand our understanding and design inclusively - Aids in destigmatising excluded identities and experiences > "Nothing about us without us" Also, "nothing about us, or for us, without us" – agency, self-determination, and representation for people who are marginalised and excluded ### 00:27:08 # Building your inclusive design toolkit ## APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ### Centre **Lived experience** Listen to the people who are excluded, honour the weight of “skin in the game.” ### 00:27:32 ## APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ### Centre **Lived experience** Listen to the people who are excluded, honour the weight of "skin in the game." Never dismiss their voices in favour of assumptions acquired from a distance. - [https://whoseknowledge.org/](https://whoseknowledge.org/) - [https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/lived-experience](https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/lived-experience) Firsthand knowledge gained from personal experience as a systemically excluded person. Or: what we're trying to understand via qualitative research. ### **Background** Often used in the context of mental health, addiction & substance abuse, and disability, but applies broadly to all aspects of exclusion. ### **Centring the people who are excluded** - Doesn't idealise neutrality - Recognises that the knowledge of having lived through (and living with) experiences of exclusion is crucial to expand our understanding and design inclusively - Aids in destigmatising excluded identities and experiences "Nothing about us without us" Also, "nothing about us, or for us, without us" – agency, self-determination, and representation for people who are marginalised and excluded ### 00:27:59 Maria Sereno Building your inclusive design toolkit UX Australia 2026 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Centre **Lived experience** Listen to the people who are ### 00:28:17 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Centre **Lived experience** Listen to the people who are excluded, honour the weight of "skin in the game." Never dismiss their voices in favour of assumptions acquired from a distance. - [https://whoseknowledge.org/](https://whoseknowledge.org/) - [https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/lived-experience](https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov. ### 00:28:23 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Centre **Lived experience** Listen to the people who are excluded, honour the weight of "skin in the game." Never dismiss their voices in favour of assumptions acquired from a distance. - [https://whoseknowledge.org/](https://whoseknowledge.org/) - [https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/lived-experience](https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov. ### 00:28:47 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Building your inclusive design toolkit ### Centre Lived experience Listen to the people who are excluded, honour the weight of "skin in the game." Never dismiss ### 00:29:11 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ## Centre **Lived experience** Listen to the people who are excluded, honour the weight of "skin in the game." Never dismiss their voices in favour of assumptions acquired from a distance. - https://whoseknowledge.org/ - https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/lived-experience Firsthand knowledge ### 00:29:15 # APPROACH: WHAT WE CAN DO ### Centre **Lived experience** Listen to the people who are excluded, honour the weight of "skin in the game." Never dismiss their voices in favour of assumptions acquired from a distance. - https://whoseknowledge.org/ - https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/lived-experience Firsthand knowledge gained from personal experience as a systemically excluded person. Or: what we're trying to understand via qualitative research. ### Background Often used in the context of mental health, addiction & substance abuse, and disability, but applies broadly to all aspects of exclusion. ### Centring the people who are excluded - Doesn't idealise neutrality - Recognises that the knowledge of having lived through (and living with) experiences of exclusion is crucial to expand our understanding and design inclusively - Aids in destigmatising excluded identities and experiences ### "Nothing about us without us" Also, "nothing about us, or for us, without us" – agency, self-determination, and representation for people who are marginalised and excluded ### 00:29:38 # Ask better questions. - impact (to individuals, communities, systems) - risk of harm - future states - existing constraints - implementation approach (e.g. "roofshots" vs "moonshots") *This is an analogy used by Alex Komoroske to illustrate how making small, progressive changes have a higher chance of success than one giant leap towards the goal. The whole presentation is a fantastic read.* ### 00:30:00 ### APPLIED DATA SCIENCE # Make better decisions. - Understand your data - Identify key trends - Predict future outcomes - Optimize strategies - Measure impact [Slide with a green vertical bar on the right side]