The difference between Equality and Equity

Equality and equity are very similar yet have their own distinct concepts. Equality refers to treating everyone the same without considering an individuals differences or specific needs. Equity, on the other hand, refers to treating everyone fairly in a different way by making sure that everyone has the resources available for them to be successful. Equity recognizes that individuals may have different needs and that treating everyone the same will not result in equal results or opportunities. However Equity is a very controversial topic as people can take advantage of the situation to give themselves an upper-hand. This is commonly seen when applying for jobs or schools and there are things such as affirmative action where someone may have an advantage given their background. Though Equity is very important as some people just need the extra support to reach the same level of success as everyone else.

Inclusive Design

When designing certain things we need to consider how we can make something accessible to everyone. Inclusive design aims to provide the best user experience for as many people as possible. This means that we are making pages more dynamic and going away from the classic one design for everyone mentality. I believe this is super relevant to my work because as a mobile software developer I often have to fulfil requests from clients wanting certain buttons changed or other UI changes for specific people. This can either be changing pictures for a more inclusive feeling, making buttons or icons larger or simply adding further instructions. Through my time programming I have found older adults often struggle with technology due to these non inclusive designed apps and widgets. Some things to look out for when making a design is to make sure that the design has text that is accessible to everyone, provide sufficient description, add video captions and try to avoid controversial or sensitive topics.

Accessibility is part of an Inclusive design methodology

References:

Sehl, K. (2023, January 5). Inclusive Design for social media: Tips for creating accessible channels. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://blog.hootsuite.com/inclusive-design-social-media/

Miller, J. (2018, October 18). Inclusive design and accessibility. Medium. Retrieved February 5, 2023 from https://blog.prototypr.io/inclusive-design-and-accessibility-50718a3ac768