Inclusive Design Isn’t Optional—Here’s How I Approach It

For me, inclusive design starts with a mindset: assume your users aren’t like you. That means designing for different languages, abilities, tech literacy levels, and contexts.

Being fluent in English and Cantonese (and conversational in Mandarin) has shaped how I think about accessibility. I’ve seen how language barriers and cultural differences affect how people use interfaces. Teaching English in Taiwan deepened that perspective. I had to communicate with limited words, so I relied on visuals, rhythm, and structure—tools I still use in UI design today.

Inclusive design means asking hard questions: Would this make sense to a non-native speaker? Is the contrast strong enough? Can someone navigate this with one hand? It's not a checklist—it's a practice of thinking outside your own experience. And it's one I bring to every project I work on.

I also believe inclusive design benefits everyone—not just those with specific needs. Clearer content, more intuitive layouts, and thoughtful flows improve the experience for all users. When we design for the edges, we make better products at the center too.

Inclusive thinking doesn’t just come into play at the end—it has to be part of the foundation. From the first wireframe to final testing, I’m always asking: who might this unintentionally exclude? And how can we design it better?