- Wednesday, January 29, 11:25 AM
The Role Design Leaders Play in Building Inclusive Product
- Alwar Pillai
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- CEO & Co-founder
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- Fable
About the Speaker
Alwar Pillai is a visionary leader and the CEO of Fable, a company dedicated to transforming the landscape of digital accessibility and inclusion. Alwar has not only navigated Fable through the challenging COVID crisis and current recession, but is one of few female founders who has successfully raised more than $10M in capital in recent years. Her achievements have garnered recognition from prestigious institutions, including Forbes, where she was honored as one of the Top 30 Under 30 in the social entrepreneurs category. She has also received the Report on Business Changemakers award from The Globe and Mail.
Alwar’s journey in the tech industry has been marked by a profound commitment to making the digital world accessible to all. Since founding, Fable has received numerous accolades, including being named one of Canada’s top five start-ups by LinkedIn for two consecutive years, recognition as one of the top ten Canadian Companies to Watch by Deloitte, and as one of the most innovative companies in the design category by Fast Company.
Alwar was born and raised in Chennai, India, before immigrating to Canada in 2015. Alwar holds a Masters of Design from OCAD U in the practice of Inclusive Design, which has been instrumental in shaping her unique approach to accessibility and innovation. Her academic achievements complement her extensive experience in product development, user experience, and accessibility.
About the Session
For decades, organizations designed for the “average user,” unintentionally excluding millions with unique needs. This approach, once acceptable, no longer holds up in a world where inclusivity has become essential.
Today, demographic shifts, social equity awareness, and rising accessibility demands are reshaping the landscape. With an aging population and a growing recognition of the diversity of human needs, the number of individuals who benefit from inclusive design is vast—and growing.
Consider this: people with disabilities and their families wield $13 trillion in spending power, a figure that surpasses the GDP of entire nations, including China. Those at the margins are not a small or niche group; they represent a significant and dynamic market. Businesses that embrace their participation will gain not only economic benefits but also a competitive edge.Yet, despite this opportunity, many organizations struggle to create digital experiences that truly include everyone. This is where design leaders play a transformative role.
In this talk, we’ll explore the pivotal role design leaders play in fostering accessibility buy-in across their organizations, particularly in decentralized models. As stewards of creativity and champions of user-centric thinking, design leaders are uniquely positioned to embed inclusivity into the DNA of their products by:-Shifting accessibility from a compliance-driven afterthought to a core design principle.
-Building cross-functional alignment by making the business case for inclusivity.
-Empowering teams to embrace decentralized ownership of inclusive design without losing sight of quality or consistency.
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All prices are in USD
