Mismatch review: 3 inclusive design lessons

We wrapped up November 2024 with Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design by Kat Holmes, and what a journey it was. This month we explored how inclusive design challenges the status quo and turns mismatched interactions into opportunities for innovation.

My rating: 9 out of 10

The length was perfect for a month, and it kept me engaged from cover to cover. Find the full book details on our Mismatch book page.

Three inclusive design lessons

1. Inclusion is never finished

Inclusion isn't "nice," perfect, or ever done. It is a mindset shift that asks us to actively challenge the cycle of exclusion in design.

2. Every design choice sends a message

From public bathrooms to video game controllers, design choices say "this is for you" or "this isn't for you." Thoughtless design builds walls of exclusion, and thoughtful design breaks them down.

3. Ask who you are designing for, and why

Before we design anything, we have to ask who we are creating for and why. Inclusive design is about understanding diverse human interactions and adapting over time, not about assumptions.

Everyone is a designer

This book was a powerful reminder that everyone is a designer when it comes to shaping inclusive experiences. Kat Holmes led inclusive design work at Microsoft, and the Microsoft Inclusive Design toolkit (opens in a new tab) is a great hands-on companion to the book.

Want to go further? Our club ran The Accessibility Mismatch Workshop, and our What Can a Body Do? review explores similar ideas about how the built world fits, or fails to fit, the people in it.

Join the conversation

What was your biggest takeaway from Mismatch? Let’s keep asking tough questions and rethinking design norms together. Share your thoughts in the Accessibility Book Club LinkedIn group (opens in a new tab).