Inclusive design for audiences with alcohol and other drug challenges
Inclusive design is lauded as best practice within UX, yet the needs of certain groups in navigating digital products are still not widely known–even though those products may save their lives. People with alcohol and other drug (AOD) challenges are one such group, experiencing a range of mental, emotional, and practical impacts that can affect how they access and use a digital product. Inclusive design methods, which seek to recognise and value our diverse range of differences, are an obvious way to create more equitable digital experiences–so why isn’t it happening already?
Ally will draw on her experiences in designing for this community in two capacities: as a UX designer at a mental health and AOD charity, and as a PhD candidate in inclusive design. Ally’s reflections on approaches to inclusive design may benefit practitioners working in any sector, not just healthcare. She will also encourage attendees to examine the challenges, biases, and barriers in their own practice: how might we work to overcome historical, systemic difficulties in implementing inclusive design?
Ally Tutkaluk
Ally Tutkaluk is a UX designer, writer, and researcher from Meanjin (Brisbane). She has led content and UX on digital projects in the FMCG, research, and not-for-profit sectors. Currently, she is the UX and Design Specialist at Lives Lived Well, a mental health and alcohol and other drugs charity. She focuses on creating digital experiences that are valuable, meaningful, and designed with empathy, and is especially interested in mixed methods approaches to inclusive design. Ally is also a PhD candidate at the Queensland University of Technology, where her proposed thesis explores the barriers that people with Substance Use Disorder may face in both accessing and using digital health products.