Khushboo Verma, Jadetimes Staff
Khushboo Verma is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Innovation New
November 14, 2024 – A Global Reflection – Every year, World Usability Day (WUD) offers an important opportunity to pause, reflect, and challenge ourselves to improve how we design the world around us. On November 14th, designers, technologists, and citizens across the globe come together to celebrate usability—an essential principle that ensures products, services, and systems are intuitive, inclusive, and accessible for everyone. But how can we make this day truly transformative? How can we as a global community turn the celebration of usability into actionable steps that can shape a future of equitable progress, sustainability, and innovation?
In a world grappling with a host of complex issues—ranging from the environmental crisis to digital exclusion to the rapid acceleration of automation—the idea of usability must evolve beyond its traditional boundaries. It’s not just about making apps user-friendly or websites navigable. It’s about designing environments, technologies, and infrastructures that can work for every human being, in every corner of the world.
Let’s explore how we can harness the power of usability on this World Usability Day to create practical, forward-thinking solutions that resonate with every nation, from the bustling cities of the global North to the rural villages of the global South.
1. Designing for the Marginalized: Usability as Universal Access
When we think of usability, we often think of ease of use or intuitive interfaces. But true usability goes deeper. It’s about ensuring that ‘everyone’, no matter their background, ability, or location, has equal access to technology and services. There are billions of people around the world who still struggle to access basic digital tools or who find themselves excluded from the benefits of modern innovation due to physical, cognitive, or geographical barriers.
On World Usability Day, we must challenge ourselves to create designs that are truly universal:
- Bridging the Digital Divide : In remote communities and underserved regions, access to the internet and modern technology is often limited. We must develop ‘low-cost, high-impact digital solutions’ that cater to users in areas with unreliable connectivity. These solutions could include offline mobile apps or solar-powered devices that enable people in rural settings to engage with essential services like healthcare, education, and banking.
- Empathy-Driven Design : Usability isn’t just about making a product work—it’s about understanding the user experience. We need to prioritize design solutions that truly consider the diverse needs of the disabled, elderly, and other marginalized groups. For example, ‘voice-activated interfaces’ for those with visual impairments or ‘simplified digital banking apps’ for elderly users unfamiliar with complex technology. The goal should be a world where ‘design is as inclusive as humanity itself’.
2. Sustainability Through Smart Design: Usability and the Environment
With climate change and resource depletion now urgent global challenges, ‘usability’ must also consider ‘environmental sustainability’. The products and services we design today will shape the planet we live on tomorrow. In this context, usability doesn’t just mean creating systems that are easy to use; it’s about creating systems that help preserve the planet for future generations.
Here are practical ways to integrate sustainability with usability:
- Green Tech for a Greener Tomorrow: We can push for the development of ‘energy-efficient’ technologies that not only provide user-friendly experiences but are also eco-conscious. For example, ‘smart home technologies’ that adjust lighting and heating based on usage patterns can save energy while enhancing the user’s convenience. On World Usability Day, tech companies and governments should commit to creating and supporting ‘green design standards’ for all digital products and devices.
- Circular Economy Initiatives: Usability can also be applied to the way we consume and dispose of products. ‘Designing for repairability and upgradability’ helps reduce e-waste and extends the lifecycle of products. It’s not just about creating durable products—it’s about creating systems where users can easily repair, upgrade, or repurpose the technology they use. Companies could offer ‘easy-to-understand repair guides’ or provide trade-in programs that allow consumers to return old devices for refurbishment.
- Eco-Friendly Transportation : In cities around the world, urban mobility is a major source of carbon emissions. Creating ‘user-friendly, sustainable transport systems’—from shared electric scooters to intuitive public transport apps—can encourage people to make more sustainable choices. The ease with which we use transport technologies can be a key factor in shifting people away from gas-powered vehicles and towards more sustainable alternatives.
3. Reimagining Artificial Intelligence: Human-Centered AI for a Better Tomorrow.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already transforming industries, economies, and societies. But as AI becomes an integral part of daily life, there is a critical need to ensure that it works ‘for people’, not the other way around. The usability of AI systems is not just about ease of use; it’s about ensuring that AI makes life better, not more complicated.
For World Usability Day, here are actionable ways to align AI with human values:
- Transparent AI Systems: ‘Explainable AI’ is essential if we want people to trust the technology that’s influencing their lives. On World Usability Day, we should push for regulations and standards that demand ‘AI transparency’. People should understand not only how decisions are made by AI but also be able to challenge those decisions when necessary. This could apply to everything from automated hiring processes to predictive policing algorithms.
- Design AI for All: Too often, AI systems are optimized for a narrow segment of users, typically those with high-tech literacy or specific needs. To make AI truly usable, we must ensure that ‘every user can interact with it comfortably’. For example, AI-driven medical diagnostics should not just be for highly trained doctors but should be designed to be ‘user-friendly’ for patients as well, helping them understand their own health data in an actionable way.
- Ethical AI Use: Usability on a global scale must also consider the ‘ethics of AI’. How we design and deploy AI should be centered around fairness, accountability, and the elimination of bias. This means creating AI that doesn’t just serve corporate interests but promotes the ‘well-being of all humanity’, especially vulnerable populations.
4. A Collaborative Global Effort: Usability Beyond Borders
Usability is not just a national concern—it’s a ‘global imperative’. The challenges we face are interconnected, and so too must be the solutions. On World Usability Day, we can foster ‘international collaborations’ that address common problems through the lens of human-centered design.
Here’s how nations can come together:
- Cross-Border Design Challenges: Nations can unite through global design challenges aimed at solving pressing issues like climate change, refugee crises, or healthcare access. ‘Collaborative design’ thinking can bring together diverse voices and ideas from every corner of the globe to create truly inclusive solutions. For example, a global design competition to create sustainable water purification systems for developing countries would unite designers, engineers, and scientists across borders.
- Open-Source Innovations for All: The spirit of ‘open-source collaboration’ can be a powerful tool in the global usability movement. By developing technologies that are freely available for anyone to adapt, modify, and improve, we can ensure that innovations reach the communities that need them most. Whether it’s in the form of open-source software, designs for renewable energy systems, or digital literacy programs, the potential for shared global progress is enormous.
- Global Policy Frameworks for Usability: Governments worldwide should work together to develop shared standards for usability—not only for technology but for urban design, education systems, healthcare, and more. These frameworks could set guidelines for ‘universal access’, environmental sustainability, and ethical technology use, ensuring that no nation is left behind in the digital age.
5. Shaping the Next Generation: Education and Awareness on Usability.
Finally, we must consider the role of education in shaping the future of usability. Schools and universities must evolve to teach ‘human-centered design’ principles, ensuring that the next generation of leaders, designers, and engineers are equipped with the skills to create technologies that benefit everyone.
World Usability Day can serve as a platform to launch initiatives that:
- Raise Global Awareness: Through global campaigns, we can spread awareness about the importance of usability in our daily lives—from digital platforms to physical spaces. These campaigns should highlight the connection between good design and better outcomes in health, education, and the environment.
- Empower Future Designers: By offering scholarships, mentorships, and programs for young designers and technologists, we can ensure that usability principles are embedded in the careers of tomorrow. The next wave of innovation will come from those who understand that design is not just about aesthetics or functionality—but about improving lives and communities.
Usability as a Force for Global Good
World Usability Day is a reminder that the future of our interconnected world depends on how well we design our systems, services, and technologies to work for people everywhere. Whether it's creating accessible digital tools, designing products that minimize environmental harm, or reimagining AI for the benefit of all, usability must be a guiding principle in building a better, more equitable future.
By embracing inclusive, sustainable, and empathetic design, nations can collectively shape a world where technology enhances the lives of everyone, regardless of background, ability, or geography. As we celebrate World Usability Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to not just designing for today—but designing a world that works for all tomorrow.
