Game Changers - Designing Digital Solutions for Social Inclusion at Scale

Digital solutions hold great potential in addressing social inclusion challenges, reducing inequalities, and preventing further exclusion of marginalized groups. However, we are still far from realizing their full potential for facilitating social inclusion at scale. Inclusive IS design at scale requires design knowledge and in particular, a universal design approach that meets the requirements of a broad and diverse population. Following a design science research approach, we developed eight design principles for socially inclusive IS design at scale. As a foundation, we extracted eight meta-requirements, revealing fields of tension between provider and individual, and illustrated how design principles can mitigate these tensions. Our research contributes to a nascent design theory in the form of design principles for inclusive IS design and extends the emergent debate on tensions in human-centered IS design. Further, we hope to inspire and guide practitioners in designing digital solutions that benefit a socially inclusive society.