Mismatch

How Inclusion Shapes Design (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life)

By: Kat Holmes, John Maeda - foreword

Narrated by: Kat Holmes

Length: 3 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Sometimes designed objects reject their users: a computer mouse that doesn't work for left-handed people, for example, or a touchscreen payment system that only works for people who read English phrases, have 20/20 vision, and use a credit card. These mismatches are the building blocks of exclusion. In Mismatch, Kat Holmes describes how design can lead to exclusion, and how design can also remedy exclusion.

Holmes tells stories of pioneers of inclusive design, many of whom were drawn to work on inclusion because of their own experiences of exclusion. A gamer and designer who depends on voice recognition shows Holmes his "Wall of Exclusion", which displays dozens of game controllers that require two hands to operate; an architect shares her firsthand knowledge of how design can fail communities; an astronomer who began to lose her eyesight adapts a technique called "sonification" so she can "listen" to the stars.

Designing for inclusion is not a feel-good sideline. Holmes shows how inclusion can be a source of innovation and growth, especially for digital technologies. It can be a catalyst for creativity and a boost for the bottom line as a customer base expands. And each time we remedy a mismatched interaction, we create an opportunity for more people to contribute to society in meaningful ways.

©2018 Kat Holmes (P)2020 Gildan Media

Tough to get through! Way too generalized

it was way too generalized, not actionable. The author talked about everything at such a high level there's not much you can act on in actual work. I guess this would be a good book for people who are completely new to the subject of accessibility and want a very high-level understanding. But as a practitioner I was hoping for something more concrete.

The narration was very dry, and it didn't have any passion. which is odd because the author narrated the book so I would have expected her to have a more lively delivery since this subject is something she presumably cares a lot about. And there were uncomfortably long pauses between every sentence which made the entire book feel very slow.