What happens when we lose sight of who we’re designing for—when the digital divide becomes so vast as to become dangerous? How can we continue to check our assumptions and build inclusive design into everything we do?

In this talk, we’ll discuss the digital literacy gap between the people who make the products and the people using them, and how this can lead to real integrity harms around the world. Beyond identifying what separates us, we’ll work through some applicable tactics to narrow the gap and make sure that the innovations we build today don’t leave behind people tomorrow.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Identify assumptions and patterns: Learn how to assess your patterns library and standards for complex interactions that may confuse people at scale.
• Meet people where they are: Sometimes educational and help-center content can simply be invisible, or worse, confusing. We’ll talk about how to tailor assistive content experiences to varying levels.
• Balance simple and usable: The lure of simple is a compelling one, but it’s also something that runs the risk of leaving people behind. We’ll consider how to balance a drive for simplicity while still creating a usable experience.