Designing for Everyone: Advancing Digital Inclusion

At the Government Innovation Showcase British Columbia last year, Susan Stanford, Assistant Deputy Minister of Connectivity & ICT, Government of British Columbia, shifts the digital inclusion conversation beyond interface design to its critical, essential elements. She emphasizes that true inclusion requires building a "full stack" of foundational enablers before seamless digital services can be recognized for everyone.

Susan compellingly shares that even with BC's historic $500M investment to connect 99% of homes to high-speed internet by 2030, infrastructure alone is insufficient. A significant "adoption gap" persists, driven by unaffordable plans, unsuitable devices, a lack of digital skills, and eroded trust—especially due to fraud targeting newly connected and vulnerable communities. Citing UK research, she frames digital exclusion as a major economic drag and a widespread societal issue affecting far more than a small fringe. True thought leadership, she posits, lies in using data and segmentation to coordinate targeted support—like device banks and skills networks—across all sectors. The value for public servants is a crucial systems-thinking lens: inclusive digital service delivery depends on first solving for equitable access, affordability, and safety.

Ultimately, Stanford issues a call for coordinated action, measurement, and awareness, positioning digital inclusion not as a niche policy but as the essential foundation for a trustworthy, participatory, and economically vibrant digital society.

Watch Susan Stanford's keynote to understand why digital inclusion requires far more than just good website design—it demands a foundational commitment to universal access, affordability, and trust.