Inclusivity is very broad while accessibility is focused on a very specific challenge — disability. Accessibility is an attribute within inclusive design, which is a methodology that covers the full spectrum of human diversity.
Inclusive design is not a feature you add after the fact. It is a mindset and methodology that shapes how you approach product problems from the very beginning. Accessibility is one essential attribute of this methodology, focused specifically on enabling people with disabilities to use your product. But inclusivity goes far beyond that — it considers the broad range of human abilities, contexts, and identities that influence how people experience your product.
If you assume all senses and abilities are fully enabled all the time, you risk ignoring a large portion of humanity. Your product might be unusable or frustrating for many users — and you may never even realize it because your personas and user research are too narrow.
That is why inclusivity is not a luxury or a "nice to have." It is capitalistic. If you exclude users by designing only for the average or the able-bodied, you are discarding opportunity and revenue. This is the uncomfortable reality.
Inclusive design is a methodology; accessibility is an attribute
Inclusive design is a structured approach to creating products that work for as many people as possible. It recognizes diversity as multi-dimensional — physical, cognitive, cultural, linguistic, and situational differences all matter.
Accessibility refers specifically to designing for people with disabilities — severe difficulties that require assistive technologies such as screen readers, crutches, or exoskeletons. Accessibility is one attribute within the broader inclusive design methodology.
"Accessibility is an attribute, while inclusive design is a method."
This distinction matters because accessibility compliance alone does not guarantee inclusivity. You can build an accessible product that nevertheless fails to consider users with different cultural backgrounds, languages, cognitive styles, or temporary situational limitations.
Inclusive design asks: Who might be excluded by my assumptions? What contexts do my users live in? How can I design for edge cases so the whole spectrum is covered? Accessibility focuses on removing barriers for people with disabilities, such as blindness or motor impairments.
Spectrum, not binary
Disability is not a binary state. It is a spectrum and context-dependent.
For example, when you have a sprained ankle, you may limp rather than use crutches because carrying them is cumbersome. Or when you are under anesthesia or intoxicated, your senses and abilities are temporarily impaired. These are forms of temporary disability.
Inclusive design requires you to think about these variations and fluctuations, not just permanent disabilities.
Diversity is everywhere — you are excluding someone
Talvinder asked a series of reflective questions to illustrate everyday moments when exclusion or impatience arises:
- When was the last time you got annoyed because your mom struggled with a digital task?
- When was the last time you were impatient with an older colleague adapting to new software?
- When was the last time you judged someone’s opinion because they lacked formal education but had experience?
- When was the last time you assumed someone’s tech skills based on gender or perceived sexuality?
- When was the last time you dismissed someone because of their ethnicity or neighborhood?
These moments reveal how our biases and assumptions exclude people without us realizing it.
Identity is multi-dimensional. Age, ability, culture, language, gender, socio-economic status — all these axes intersect to shape how someone experiences a product.
If your personas and design do not reflect this complexity, you are ignoring a whole set of potential users.
Why inclusivity matters beyond disability
Inclusive design is about making products usable and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of their background or situation.
Imagine you are designing an app for parents. You cannot assume every parent is a 25-year-old able-bodied person with fluent English. Some may be elderly grandparents, others may have low literacy, some may speak Hindi or Tamil, others may have disabilities or cognitive differences.
If you ignore this diversity, your product will be complicated or unusable for many.
Talvinder said:
"If you don't design for that inclusivity, you are going to discard a set of users who would have used your app — they will find it way too complicated."
This is a business problem as well as a social one. Ignoring inclusivity limits your market.
The World Health Organization’s evolving definition of disability
In 1980, WHO defined disability as a personal health attribute restricting activities considered normal for humans.
Today, the definition has evolved:
"Disability is context dependent. It is a complex phenomenon reflecting the interaction between a person's body features and the society in which they live."
This means disability is not just a medical or personal issue — it depends on how environments and products are designed.
For example, a person using a wheelchair is disabled by stairs but not by ramps.
Your product design either enables or disables users depending on how inclusive it is.
Inclusive design principles: recognize and reduce exclusion
The first step is to recognize where exclusion happens.
Exclusion happens when you solve problems using your own biases and assumptions. If you only design for your own abilities and context, you exclude others.
Talvinder’s teaching emphasizes asking the right questions:
- Who might be excluded by my current design?
- What assumptions am I making about users’ abilities, contexts, and identities?
- How can I expand my personas to cover a fuller range of human diversity?
- How can I test my product with users who represent different abilities and situations?
Inclusive design is an ongoing process of learning, testing, and iterating.
Inclusive design in practice: beyond physical abilities
Inclusive design covers:
- Physical abilities (vision, hearing, motor skills)
- Cognitive abilities (attention, memory, learning styles)
- Language and literacy
- Cultural norms and values
- Temporary situational impairments (noise, multitasking, stress)
- Socio-economic status and technology access
For example, a delivery app must consider:
- Users who do not speak English fluently
- Users with limited digital literacy
- Users with disabilities like color blindness or motor impairments
- Situations where users have low connectivity or use shared devices
Designing with these in mind reduces friction and increases adoption.
Accessibility: the assistive technology target
Accessibility focuses on severe disabilities that require assistive technologies.
Examples include:
- Screen readers for blind users
- Voice commands for users with motor impairments
- Captioning for deaf users
- High-contrast modes for low vision
Accessibility standards (WCAG) and legal requirements mandate these features.
But accessibility does not cover all inclusivity needs.
The trap of thinking inclusivity is a luxury or only for big companies
Talvinder hears this often:
"Inclusivity is either thought of as a luxury or as a problem only for big companies like Google or Microsoft."
This mindset is wrong.
If you want to be a kick-ass product leader for the new generation, you must adopt a different mindset — one that sees inclusivity as foundational, not optional.
Inclusive design is a competitive advantage, not a checkbox.
Resources for inclusive design
Talvinder points to excellent resources from Microsoft’s Inclusive Design Toolkit, which he calls the “Bible” for product leaders:
- Inclusive Design 101 Guidebook
- Inclusive Design Activity Cards
- Inclusive Design for Cognition Worksheets
- Case studies on inclusive AI and product equity
These are practical tools to help you embed inclusive design in your process.
Reflecting on your own product with inclusive design
Next time you create personas or plan your features, ask:
- Does this persona represent the full range of abilities and contexts my users live in?
- Have I considered users who might have temporary or permanent impairments?
- Is my product usable when a user’s senses or abilities are limited?
- Have I tested with users from diverse backgrounds?
If you cannot answer yes confidently, you are not ready to ship.
Field Exercise: Recognize exclusion in your product (15 min)
- Pick a product you use daily — a delivery app, a payment app, or a social media platform.
- List 3 types of users who might struggle with this product because of ability, language, culture, or context.
- For each user type, identify one pain point or exclusion risk.
- Brainstorm one design change that could reduce exclusion for that user.
- Reflect on how this exercise changes your view of your product’s user base.
Test yourself: Inclusive design scenario
You are a PM at a Bangalore-based early-stage edtech startup building a mobile app for NEET exam preparation. Your initial user research focused on urban, English-speaking students with smartphones. You receive feedback from rural users who speak Hindi and have intermittent internet. They report difficulty navigating the app and understanding instructions.
The call: What is your immediate priority to make the product more inclusive, and how do you balance this with your current roadmap commitments?
Your reasoning:
Where to go next
- Learn practical user research methods to uncover exclusion: User Research Methods
- Master product vision that embraces diversity: Product Vision and Strategy
- Understand ethical product management principles: Ethical PM
- Measure user experience across diverse personas: Metrics and KPIs