Inclusive design is how customer experience becomes truly human

One of the 2025 initiatives of the Diversity Advancement Committee is to increase awareness of the business growth potential surrounding serving different diverse communities during and beyond celebrations and observances that might be unfamiliar but are important to our fellow members, colleagues, and customers. In this post, we are spotlighting Disability Pride Month in July.

Disability Pride Month opens moments to reflect and invites conversations around identity, access, and equity; spanning policy, visibility, and the design of systems, services, environments, and everyday interactions. First celebrated in the United States in 1990, alongside the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the month has since evolved into a global occasion for recognition and respect.

What we honour during this time reaches far beyond dates or definitions. We celebrate diversity of ability and acknowledge that disability is part of the human experience. The Disability Pride flag offers a visual language for this spectrum of experiences:

·       red for physical disabilities

·       gold for neurodivergence

·       white for invisible and undiagnosed conditions

·       blue for mental health

·       green for sensory differences

As customer experience professionals, we have a unique role in shaping how this diversity is welcomed, reflected, and supported across touchpoints. Understanding the scale of disability (and how it intersects with service design) is essential to creating equitable, frictionless journeys.

Disability inclusion drives loyalty, trust, and long-term growth

Globally, over 1.3 billion people live with disabilities. When families and caregivers are included, the number of those impacted rises significantly. Translating these figures into market potential, this segment represents more than $13 trillion in annual disposable income, according to the Return on Disability Group.

In the UK, over £17 billion is lost each year due to digital inaccessibility. 43% of disabled customers abandon online transactions, and 71% leave inaccessible websites. At the same time, brands that invest in accessible systems, services, and environments see measurable returns: 76% of disabled consumers remain loyal to inclusive companies, and more than half are willing to pay more for services that consistently meet their needs.

In the US, businesses lose an estimated $6.9M annually due to inaccessibility according to Retail TouchPoints. It pays to integrate accessibility into digital as accessible websites could unlock up to $490B of spending power.

These numbers reveal a clear link between inclusive design, customer trust, and long-term value creation.

Europe cares so strongly about accessibility that it enacted the European Accessibility Act (EAA) in April 2019. The EAA went into effect on June 28, 2025. This means that businesses providing certain products and services in the EU will need to comply with accessibility requirements for people with disabilities. The EAA aims to harmonize accessibility requirements across the EU for a range of digital products and services, including websites and mobile apps. For UK businesses with customers in the EU, compliance with the EAA is mandatory, as the act applies to any organization providing products or services within the EU.

Inclusion touches every industry and deserves attention across the board

We see the impact of disability inclusion across sectors; each with its own urgency and opportunity:

• Digital and e-commerce: we lose customers every time a button isn’t labelled, a contrast fails, or a form can’t be navigated. When we fix those gaps, we see usability (and conversions) rise.

• Banking and insurance: when systems accommodate different ways of processing and communicating, we make financial services more accessible and more trustworthy.

• Retail and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG): we create calmer, more welcoming environments when we consider sensory experience: from lighting and signage to packaging and layout.

• Travel and hospitality: the confidence to book, travel, and show up depends on more than access; it relies on clarity, predictability, and respectful interaction.

• Customer support: when we expand beyond voice-only or rapid-fire channels, we make help more available (and more human) for a wider range of people.

Across industries, inclusive CX allows more people to participate, stay, and return; without having to work harder to belong.

Designing for human variation

When we speak about disability, we are describing a diverse and dynamic customer segment; one that spans generations, life stages, and cultural contexts. It’s important to highlight that disability doesn’t always follow a fixed pattern. It can be temporary or lifelong, visible or subtle. People recovering from surgery, managing chronic illness, or navigating sensory overload move through the world with needs that deserve thoughtful attention. Their experiences form part of the broader spectrum we design for.

Inclusive design approaches disability as a mismatch between user needs and the features of a product, environment, or service, and it views mismatches as conditional and solvable. This mindset opens space

 for more responsive solutions, shaped by technology, context, and personal preference.

While inclusive and universal design are often mentioned together, they reflect different (but complementary) approaches. Inclusive design embraces flexibility and offers alternatives. Universal design seeks to create one solution usable by many. Together, they help us build more equitable and usable customer experiences from the start.

Universal design carries a further benefit: it improves journeys for everyone. Features created for specific needs (such as screen-reader compatibility or captioning) also support mobile users, language learners, and those navigating distraction or fatigue. When layouts are simplified, copy is clarified, and unnecessary steps are removed, the entire experience becomes more fluid and user-friendly.

Opportunities for CX professionals

We don’t need to overhaul everything to start designing more inclusively. We can begin with attention, and a few intentional shifts. For example:

·       Considering access early in the design process

·       Involving disabled participants in testing

·       Offering multiple channels to engage

·       Reducing cognitive load where possible

·       Reviewing touchpoints with emotional and functional effort in mind

CX professionals might take Disability Pride Month as an opportunity to learn more about how their organization is already providing inclusive design and serving people with disabilities, explore any initiatives from other departments already underway, and identify ways to support other departments achieve a better CX for their customers with disabilities.  By listening more closely and adjusting more often, we build a CX culture that is not only human-centred, but human-aware.

A principle that shapes practice

Disability Pride Month draws attention to something essential: inclusion belongs at the heart of how we build. Designing with awareness of difference leads to more open, more flexible, and more durable systems. It deepens trust across customer communities and strengthens the quality of experience at every stage.

Each adjustment we make, each moment we consider more intentionally, contributes to an environment that reflects the diversity of the people it serves. And through that, we move closer to experiences that connect more deeply and serve more meaningfully.

As diversity remains a CXPA Core Value, the Diversity Advancement Committee is dedicated to fostering a culture of inclusivity and belonging, where everyone feels welcomed. You may find more resources at cxpaglobal.org/diversity. For more tips on integrating diversity, equity and inclusion into a CX ecosystem, download our free e-book. (CXPA login required)

Further resources to explore:

·       Inclusive Design Guide – A practical resource developed by the Inclusive Design Research Centre

·       Three steps to build a business case for inclusive design by Forrester

·       Business Disability Forum’s toolkits and knowledge hub on how to serve disabled customers

·       Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design by Kat Holmes – An excellent book on inclusive design in tech and product development

·       Retail TouchPoints – The Cost of Inaccessibility: Businesses Lose More Than $69 Billion Annually