This month we are honoring the history, achievements, culture, and ongoing advocacy of people with disabilities. This is our third episode celebrating Disability Pride Month. Today, we're privileged to speak with Dr. Jutta Treviranus, a true pioneer in inclusive design. As the director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) at OCAD University in Toronto, Dr. Treviranus has been instrumental in shaping global accessibility laws and influencing the tech standards that major companies use. 

She has been constantly pushing the limits of what genuinely inclusive digital environments can be. Among her many achievements, she's been honored with the prestigious AI for Good - DEI AI Leader of the Year Award from Women in AI. Her entire approach is built on advocating for those whose experiences don't fit the "average" mold.

In this episode, you'll learn about her "human starburst" metaphor and how it's changing design philosophy, why focusing on diversity at the edges of a system actually makes those systems more resilient and adaptable and what it really takes to confront bias in the age of AI. Dr. Treviranus shares powerful stories from the trenches, showing how inclusive design is a powerful driver for innovation that ultimately benefits us all.



In This Episode:

[02:22] Inclusive Design or the Canadian School of Inclusive Design is focused on an understanding that diversity is our greatest asset and inclusion is our greatest challenge.

[03:28] The "human starburst" is a growing data set of what people need to thrive.

[04:52] In the middle there's a cluster of 80% of the needs of all the population, the remaining 20% of the needs are distributed from that. The needs in the middle are more similar the further apart ones are different.

[06:08] Most products designed are for the 80%.

[07:22] The unexplored terrain leaves room for innovation.

[08:01] The Canadian school starts at the edge and designs for those where things aren't working. It creates an adaptive environment.

[09:17] Why inclusive design is critical in our digital age. We are replicating the same pattern instead of transforming. If we design our systems for people that are struggling, we will create things that work for us.

[10:52] The inclusive masters program launched at OCAD University back in 2010. They wanted to ensure it meant the largest range of needs.

[13:08] What Jutta feels are her significant contributions to inclusive design.

[13:30] She's proud of the students who take this mindset and expand it and the organic growth of a new way of looking at things.

[16:17] We learn about IDRC's We Count project. By the time chat GPT came out AI was already affecting major critical decisions in everyone's life.

[17:27] If we continue this pattern we'll do quite a bit of harm to ourselves and outliers. Such as AI hiring where there's a pattern for the optimal employee. This can amplify discrimination already present and lead to monocultures.

[19:29] It's a statistical reasoning machine with no guidance and nothing filtered out. Jutta is trying to address the needs of people who are vulnerable and most harmed by these systems.

[21:31] There's an uptick in collateral damage to people who aren't like the average, including iatrogenic death and illness.

[23:01] We Count is trying to invert the algorithm and look for different perspectives.

[25:48] We Count has been in existence since 2016.

[28:07] The importance of engaging the intended beneficiaries and the people who have the most difficulty with whatever you're designing.

[29:40] What tech transfer students should know about innovation and inclusion to ensure innovations are accessible and beneficial to the widest audience.

[31:13] Engaging more with the community will help embed inclusive design into the tech transfer process.

[33:00] One of the biggest misconceptions is that inclusive design costs more.

[37:01] Jutta shares advice for championing inclusion in our work. Look for the edges of the human starburst.

Resources: 

Inclusive Design Research Centre OCAD University

Jutta Treviranus - OCAD University

Jutta Treviranus - LinkedIn

We Count: IDRC's Inclusive Artificial Intelligence (AI) Initiatives