World Interaction Design Day - Diversity & Inclusion in Design - Talks & Panel

As part of World Interaction Design Day (IxDD) Melbourne Web Accessibility and Inclusive Design will be hosting talks and panel discussion on the importance of diversity and inclusion in design.

Panel Members:

Louise Long (@longlou) - Service Design Director, Today

A recognised design leader, Louise has honed her service design skills over 30 years of professional practice. She began her career at NAB, working her way up from teller through brand, strategy and marketing before becoming Head of Customer Experience Design and Head of Human­Centred Design. Louise built the bank's human­centered design practice over a period of 10 years, growing it to 60­plus design professionals.

As Service Design Director, Louise oversees and helps our Service Designers deliver world­class projects for social and environmental impact. She ensures Today's projects are as practical as they are ambitious—helping our clients innovate toward the bright futures they wish for.

Louise has a human­centred worldview, understanding systems through people, and she brings this perspective to everything she does. Her vast business experience enables her to translate the relevancy of design methods and mindset to business value and
outcomes.

Dion Wise (@dionw) - Owner, Lemonade

I lead a team of talented digital professionals at Lemonade. Lemonade is a Melbourne-based digital agency. We plan, create and improve websites and digital solutions. I take pride in our track record of helping our clients make better digital decision to reduce waste and increase impact.

We are a business built on word-of-mouth referrals. A direct result of the level of care and value we have delivered for our clients.

My quest to make inclusive design ubiquitous. I believe that accessible and inclusive design is our ethical obligation. It is mandatory for anyone who prides themselves on quality. It is a pre-requisite for usability and it is good for business.

Laura Edwards - Manager, Accessibility, Metro Trains Melbourne

Laura has a background in stakeholder engagement and issues management, which led to her landing a community-facing role within Victoria’s public transport system.

Over the past five years, she has worked within the accessibility space, driving change and improvement across multiple rail operators.

Laura now oversees Metro’s accessibility program.

Lightning Talks:

Good, Better, Best - a pragmatic way to approach Accessibility by Amir Ansari (Head of User Experience at Transpire.com)

With over 21 years’ experience in the field of design, both as a practitioner and manager, Amir has worked across the private and public sectors - mostly in the consulting space, managing UX researchers and designers. You can find him on Twitter via @amir_ansari

A11y testing a multichannel form wizard by Vernon Fowler (Digital User Experience Manager at State Library)

As UX Manager, Vernon provides insights into user needs, goals and behaviours to inform strategy and design processes for digital libraries. He designs inclusive and engaging digital experiences. You can find him on Twitter via @vfowler

Access for all by Melissa Coltzau, Senior Business Analyst at REA Group

A common misconception about disability in Australia is that it only affects a small percentage of the population. Would it surprise you to learn that 4.5 million people have a temporary or permanent disability? So what’s it like trying to find a place to rent with the added requirements of a disability? Not great.

This was the starting point for a team of REA Group employees to start making the rental experience something everyone could access.

Melissa Coltzau, Senior Business Analyst at REA Group, was a member of the ‘Access for All’ REAio (hackday) team.

Melissa will speak about the research, prototyping and insights the ‘Access For All’ team uncovered improving the rental experience and share how creating better experiences for people with disabilities creates a better experience for everyone.