Samenvatting

Digital services are becoming the default way to access public information, pursue an education, get healthcare, and engage in civic life. Yet for millions of people, these services remain frustrating to use or completely inaccessible. Legal frameworks such as the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and WCAG guidelines provide important baselines for digital access, but they often emphasise technical compliance. This dynamic focuses on reduced accessibility to a late-stage checklist item rather than serving as a guiding principle of inclusive design that accounts for the diversity of users from the outset.
The Digital Inclusion by Design project emerged from this tension. Funded by the Nationaal Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA (KIEM scheme), it brought together researchers, students, UX agencies, and public organisations to investigate systemic barriers that prevent design teams from creating digital services that are both accessible and inclusive of all users. Working across three contexts design education, professional UX practice, and civic co-creation — we identified recurring points of failure, shared insights, and prototyped new tools and strategies to overcome challenges.
Our central research question was: What prevents design teams from achieving truly inclusive and accessible digital services—and how can we support systemic change in everyday design practices?