Designing for the edges means that inclusive design should be the standard

At The Strategy Group, we pride ourselves on delivering truly human-centred design, meaning that we place people at the heart of our services, strategies, and systems.

But to truly be customer-centric, we need to take that commitment one step further. It’s time to recognise the power of inclusive design, and the outsized impact it can have not only on edge users, but on everyone.

Rethinking our default personas

In human-centred design, we often focus on the "typical" user. We map out their goals, frustrations, and expectations.

But when we combine human-centred design with inclusive design, it invites us to consider the edge user, those with unique, permanent, situational, or temporary impairments, and build solutions that work for them. Why? Because when we design for those with the greatest needs, we create solutions that work better for all.

This principle is often referred to as the “curb-cut effect”. Ramps were originally built for wheelchair users, but now benefit parents with prams, travellers with luggage, and even the average person in heels or on a scooter. The same applies to digital and service design: if it’s intuitive and accessible to someone with cognitive or physical barriers, it’s almost certainly better for everyone else too.

The risks of designing from assumptions

We’re all at risk of accidentally centering our own experience as the default. That’s the human experience.

However, when it comes to design and, in particular, inclusive design, this is where exclusion happens. For instance, if a service team sees data showing that users are abandoning a form midway, they may attempt to streamline that page. But what if a significant number of users never make it to the form at all, because they can’t access the website, understand the language, or use the navigation system?

When our personas are built only from  ‘obvious’ behaviours, we miss those who are quietly excluded, often unintentionally. According to the World Health Organisation, over 1 billion people live with some form of disability, representing around 16% of the global population. And that doesn’t include those with temporary or situational impairments, like someone carrying groceries or recovering from surgery. Barriers both physical and digital can impact anyone on any given day.

Inclusion is a mindset that benefits everyone

Many inclusive practices are cost-neutral.Using inclusive language, structuring documents accessibly, or designing workshops to be cognitively inclusive doesn’t require a bigger budget but amore intentional mindset.

At The Strategy Group, we’ve seen this firsthand. Even small changes, like applying proper heading styles inPowerPoint for screen readers or ensuring that image alt-text is descriptive, can transform how someone experiences a document. These aren’t massive projects-they’re simple, repeatable steps that can be embedded into our daily tools and templates.

Awareness is the first step toward action. For example, WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) helps teams design, audit and improve digital experiences, but inclusive design is broader than technical compliance. It’s about making everyone feel seen and designing products, services and experiences that work for everyone.

Making inclusive design a capability

At The Strategy Group, we’re exploring ways to embed inclusive design training across our team. Whether it’s through certifications, guest speakers, or internal capability uplift, the goal is simple: make inclusive thinking business as usual.

More importantly, we believe inclusive design can become a strategic differentiator. Our clients, especially in aged care and local councils, serve vulnerable populations. By showing them how to include edge users in their strategies, we can help them deliver services that are more accessible and inclusive.

You can’t truly be customer-centric without being inclusive. As our teams evolve and as we design for increasingly diverse communities, inclusive design will be at the core of everything we do.

Let’s continue the conversation. Let’s do the training. Let’s make inclusive design our competitive edge.