Mismatch, Kat Holmes
Mismatch, Kat Holmes
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Mismatch
How Inclusion Shapes Design

Author: Kat Holmes, John Maeda

Narrator: Kat Holmes

Unabridged: 3 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Ascent Audio

Published: 01/28/2020


Synopsis

Sometimes designed objects reject their users: a computer mouse that doesn't work for left-handed people, for example, or a touchscreen payment system that only works for people who read English phrases, have 20/20 vision, and use a credit card. These mismatches are the building blocks of exclusion. In Mismatch, Kat Holmes describes how design can lead to exclusion, and how design can also remedy exclusion.

Holmes tells stories of pioneers of inclusive design, many of whom were drawn to work on inclusion because of their own experiences of exclusion. A gamer and designer who depends on voice recognition shows Holmes his "Wall of Exclusion," which displays dozens of game controllers that require two hands to operate; an architect shares her firsthand knowledge of how design can fail communities; an astronomer who began to lose her eyesight adapts a technique called "sonification" so she can "listen" to the stars.

Designing for inclusion is not a feel-good sideline. Holmes shows how inclusion can be a source of innovation and growth, especially for digital technologies. It can be a catalyst for creativity and a boost for the bottom line as a customer base expands. And each time we remedy a mismatched interaction, we create an opportunity for more people to contribute to society in meaningful ways.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Meredith on December 26, 2018

This book was so disappointing. I really want to read a practical, insightful book on inclusive design since it is such an important part of my next chapter of work. But this was not it. It had some great points. But it really should have been an article instead of a book. It was repetitive and rudi......more

Goodreads review by Stephen on January 19, 2019

It's a short book, and it often spins its wheels a bit, but the main premise and "Chapter 7: There is No Such Thing as Normal" make it worth the read.......more

Goodreads review by Tim on February 05, 2019

Originally published at [URL not allowed] ------ Inclusion has become a borderline buzzword that many companies like to throw around but few know how to actually prioritize. Mismatch attempts to fix that by helping to provide a framework for how to design and build more inclusiv......more

Goodreads review by Lorenzo on May 09, 2020

Foucault would be into this Rustin would also be into this Steve Jobs would also probably be into this The author's thesis fits very well with a lot of the ideas I've been coming across regarding the positive role of inclusion in designing technology and policy programs that promote the least-advanta......more

As a student studying special education and disability, I am well versed in the idea of inclusion. It’s a word I use nearly every day. While I have written entire essays on how to make early childhood classrooms more inclusive for those with special needs, I had never even thought about how the gene......more