Inclusive design is more than a checklist. It’s a mindset that prioritizes the full range of human diversity, including ability, language, culture, gender, and age.
We believe that good design should serve everyone, and we help brands build a digital world where everyone can connect, belong, and thrive.
Why does inclusive design matter?
Currently, an estimated 1.3 billion people globally experience some form of disability.
That’s 16% of the global population.
In Europe, that’s nearly 1 in 5 people.
In the US, that rises to 1 in 4.
When you design with everyone in mind, you create more sustainable products and services, and experiences that are more innovative, more resilient, and build trust among diverse audiences.
Inclusive design IS good design
At Sutherland Labs we work with teams who want to embed a more inclusive mindset to designing sustainable products and services that cater to all. Whether you are beginning your journey, or looking to achieve specific DEI goals, find out how we can support you.
Through guided exercises and simulations, teams will experience the barriers faced by people with different abilities. This workshop helps break out of traditional mindsets by tackling design problems from a different lens, and opens up the possibility to explore new, innovative design solutions.
This workshop is a team activity for designers, programmers and managers. It’s also an opportunity to involve other key stakeholders and decision makers in the design process.
Do you want to take good decisions and build value & strategy that truly aligns with inclusion and DEI? Start by shifting your mindset with empathy.
We help you design products and services that work for everyone by including everyone. Our researchers engage with people across a wide spectrum of abilities, backgrounds, and lived experiences to reveal barriers, uncover unmet needs, and identify opportunities for more accessible, equitable design. The result? Insight you can act on and experiences your customers can connect with.
RNIB Partnership
Our collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) enables us to conduct more inclusive research by directly engaging with individuals with sight loss. Their expertise helps us design accessible experiences and test solutions with real users, ensuring our services meet diverse needs. Together, we also raise awareness around accessibility, driving positive change both within our organization and across the broader industry.
DAC Partnership
We have a longstanding partnership with The Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC) in Neath, Wales. DAC is a non-profit organisation which user tests digital products to assess accessibility. They are a team of accessibility specialists, passionate about inclusion and ensuring everything digital is accessible. Most of their user testing team have a disability and bring first-hand experience to their role. DAC consultants know first hand whether something is accessible to them or not.
We take a systems-thinking approach to uncover the deeper architecture behind your services, highlighting how processes, culture, and communication shape employee and customer experiences. Our team of researchers and service designers engage with employees across all levels to gain insight into how your organisation is experienced from within, to understand lived experiences, pain points, and unmet needs within the organization.
By focusing on the human experience, we illuminate how your organization’s systems impact performance, satisfaction, and engagement. We don’t just diagnose problems, with empathy thinking we explore the emotional landscape of your workplace to surface patterns that affect inclusion, morale, and resilience.
Our findings are transformed into a practical, empathy-driven action plan. This is your opportunity to lead with integrity, prioritize inclusion and wellbeing from the inside out, and build a thriving culture that is innovative, not only sustainable but resilient, and truly inclusive.
We’d love to help you build more inclusive experiences. Get in touch to speak to one of our experts.