{"id":21211,"date":"2026-05-21T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/?post_type=news&p=21211"},"modified":"2026-05-20T17:48:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:48:45","slug":"could-ai-help-us-to-design-and-build-more-inclusive-digital-experiences","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/news\/2026\/may\/could-ai-help-us-to-design-and-build-more-inclusive-digital-experiences","title":{"rendered":"Could AI help us to design and build more inclusive digital experiences?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Have you ever felt like something just wasn\u2019t designed for you? The exercise bike that doesn\u2019t adapt to your height, the website that forces you to choose an ethnicity that doesn\u2019t represent you, or the advert that makes you feel like you\u2019re not the type of person they want to attract. This is the opposite of inclusive design.<\/p>\n

Designs that make people feel unwelcome are sadly very common, but why does this happen? So often these situations are not intentional, but still have a really negative impact. These issues could be spotted – if the right process is in place.<\/p>\n

The question I\u2019m now pondering is whether AI tools could help us spot these unintended situations, and avoid giving people experiences that make them feel excluded? We\u2019re in a new era, and why shouldn\u2019t the practice of inclusive design evolve and take advantage of new opportunities too?<\/p> <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div> \n <\/div>\n

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Steph Marques,
Head of UX, Bernadette<\/em><\/p> <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div> \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n\n

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We\u2019ve already made a start at using AI agents to review our code for accessibility issues, and to help us fix them then and there – so what if we took this concept and started to apply it within our design tools, our research tools, and even our operational tools? Just recently I reviewed some written ideas for digital experiences with Gemini. It evaluated the ideas against dark UX patterns, assessed inclusivity and accessibility gaps, looked at psychological impacts and then made recommendations for more ethical UX. We were then quickly able to work through the issues and improve our ideas. Using AI enhanced our thinking and helped us to progress the work before going on to test it out with a diverse range of people.<\/p>\n

More complex tasks such as reviewing visual design and interaction patterns with AI are trickier but not impossible, and tools are advancing all the time.<\/p>\n

If we remain open-minded to the possibility that we may have unintentionally designed something that makes people feel unwelcome, and then embrace new ways of spotting those issues – it feels right to consider AI powered tools as just one of the ways we could do better.<\/p>\n

I do have a number of concerns however – can AI really represent people from all different backgrounds and in all situations? The answer surely has to be \u2018No\u2019. Plus there\u2019s the risk of giving us a false sense of security – if the AI says there\u2019s no issues then it must be fine – this rings alarm bells to me. Traditional inclusive design methods such as involving relevant communities in the design process simply cannot be replicated by machines. And giving people ownership over the design of something they will be using cannot be faked.<\/p>\n

So it would be easy to come to the conclusion that AI and Inclusive Design are at odds with each other and should never combine forces. However, I think it\u2019s worth considering that given the speed of AI, and the ease of use of AI powered tools, to not use them at all feels like such a missed opportunity. We\u2019ve seen first hand the value these tools can bring and even if a tool catches just one issue, that\u2019s one more issue caught than otherwise.<\/p>\n

Maybe the answer is more about identifying specific areas where AI can truly add value, areas where it does not distract or misdirect us. Plus, AI tools can also live alongside best practice methods, enhancing our human-led expertise. On another recent project we tested some communications with a panel of real customers and conducted an AI powered audit. This combination allowed us to feel confident that the insights we were gaining were both human and at scale.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about getting the balance right and supercharging inclusive design in this new era of technology. We can use AI to help us spot issues, but not to sign off on inclusion. We can use it to support inclusive design, but not to replace the people who need to be part of it.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n\n

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