Back when I was designing websites, I often said:

"If we make this site accessible for blind folks, it'll be better for search engines like Google too."

The idea is simple: design for those who are usually left out, and you end up making things better for everyone.

Take teaching, for example. When I'm mindful of students with ADHD, my classes become more dynamic. Guess what? Even those without ADHD benefit. They don't have to worry about it; they just get a more engaging class.

And if we're talking about nature—the flora and fauna—usually ignored, we can apply the same principle.

Action Question

Who or what is usually forgotten or excluded from your service? What are their specific needs and desires? How would you change your service if you started with them? And what benefits would this bring to your usual crowd?

Daniele's notes

• This is the first shitty draft of this principle

• This principle might one day make it in the fifth book in the "Service Design Principles" series that explores how to better serve humans and the planet.

• If you're curious about service design principles, you can get the four previous books in the series, with proofread principles and less grammatical creativity.

• Written with AI help: This principle draft is based on an audio note I took while walking that was transcribed and cleaned using Audiopen.