About this talk

As presented at the UX Rotterdam Conference 2026

Most exclusion in digital products doesn’t come from bad intent or ignorance.
It comes from the small, “reasonable” decisions that quietly stack up across teams, processes, priorities and business trade-offs until it creates exclusive systems.

In this Learn & Lunch session, we explore how exclusion becomes systemic and why designers need to rethink where accountability sits within product development. Rather than focusing only on interfaces or accessibility checklists, this session looks at the deeper structures shaping the experiences we call “neutral”.

We invite you to rethink what “good design” really means.

Who is it for?

This session is for designers, product leaders and digital teams who want to look beyond interfaces and better understand how systems, processes and everyday decisions shape user experiences.

• Product & UX Designers who want to better understand how everyday design decisions can unintentionally create exclusion.

• Design Leads & Managers responsible for shaping processes, principles and product directions across teams.

• Product Owners & Managers balancing user needs, business priorities and organizational constraints in product development.

• Service Designers & CX Leads looking at inclusion beyond interfaces and across the wider customer journey.

• Digital Transformation & Innovation Leads navigating how systems, structures and decision-making impact the experiences organizations create at scale.