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Oct 1, 2026

Designing with Intention: Inclusive, Human-Centered Design for Real People

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by Brooke Kuhn
Originally published February 2021
Human-centered design is the practice of building brands, websites and campaigns around the real people who will use them. Designing with intention goes a step further. It means deliberately considering different backgrounds, abilities and experiences at every stage of a project, so the finished work serves your whole audience, not just the people who made it.
At Watermark, one of our core values is Better Together. In our work, it means stronger ideas come from making room for different perspectives. This post brings together what we have learned about inclusive design, representation and how brands should show up on social issues.

What is human-centered design?

Human-centered design is a problem-solving approach that starts with the needs, behaviors and context of the people you are designing for. Instead of designing from assumptions, teams research their audience, test ideas with real users and refine the work based on what they learn. The goal is design that is useful, usable and meaningful to the people who encounter it.
The challenge is that designers are almost always designing for people who are different from them. Those differences include gender, income, race, religion, age and ability. Each one shapes how someone sees the world and how they interact with a website, an ad or a brand.

Why does intention matter in inclusive design?

Intention matters because bias is usually unconscious. Without a deliberate process, teams tend to design for people who look, think and live the way they do. Building inclusion into research, personas, imagery and accessibility checks is what turns "human-centered" from a buzzword into something that actually shapes the work.
Stepping into someone else's shoes is not a natural process. Implicit biases live mostly in the subconscious, and undoing them takes conscious effort. A diverse team helps. When everyone working on a problem has a similar background, blind spots are easy to miss. Different perspectives challenge those assumptions earlier in the process.

What does designing with intention look like in practice?

is a clear example. When its design team reviewed the people in its illustrations, it realized that drawing figures as outlines with no fill made nearly everyone read as white. That did not reflect the company's global user base.
The next version used unnatural skin colors like green, orange and purple. The goal was likely to seem neutral, but trying to remove race from depictions of people is not truly neutral. After character studies of real users around the world, Airbnb landed on a visual language that reflects the diversity of the people it serves.
The lesson for any brand is simple: a "safe" or default choice still communicates something. Start by looking at how your designs depict people, and ask whether those depictions match your real audience.

How can brands represent people authentically in marketing?

Authentic representation means showing people as they really are, in a way that fits the story you are telling, rather than adding diverse faces as decoration. It also means avoiding a single story. People in the same group do not all think, behave or make decisions the same way, and your marketing should reflect that.
Novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie describes as what happens when one narrative comes to define an entire group of people. As designers and marketers, we build the platforms that tell stories, so we carry some of that responsibility.
In practice, that can mean:
  • Building several personas instead of one, each with the same level of research and care
  • Designing user flows with more than one path, so different needs and starting points are supported
  • Choosing imagery and language based on who your audience actually is, not stock assumptions

How does accessibility fit into human-centered design?

Accessibility is human-centered design applied to ability. An accessible website works for people who use screen readers, keyboard navigation, captions or larger text. Following the helps your site reach more people, supports ADA compliance efforts and usually improves the experience for every visitor.
Simple starting points include descriptive alt text on every image, strong color contrast, captions on video, clear heading structure and plain-language copy. Our website design process builds these checks in from the start rather than adding them at launch.

How should brands approach social causes in their marketing?

Brands should only speak on causes they genuinely care about, and they should back their words with action. Audiences can tell when a statement is about protecting brand perception rather than real conviction. When an issue centers on experiences outside your own, the most helpful move is often to listen first and use your platform to amplify the people most affected.
A few principles have guided us:
  • Listen before you speak. Having a platform does not mean you need to be the loudest voice in the room.
  • Keep public statements simple. Every added word is another chance to be misunderstood.
  • Let action carry the message. In 2020, Watermark raised money for , a Denver nonprofit that uses arts and education to advance social justice and bring communities together. It was our way of acting instead of only issuing a statement.
Action looks different for every organization. It might be community partnerships, volunteering, hiring practices, accessibility improvements or giving more people a seat at the table when decisions get made.

What does "Better Together" mean at Watermark?

Better Together is one of Watermark's core values. It means we believe stronger teams, better ideas and more meaningful work come from including different experiences and voices. It applies to how we work with each other, with our clients and with our Denver community.
It is also an ongoing commitment, not a finished project. Language changes, communities change and our understanding grows. We will not always get it right. What matters is continuing to listen, learn and make sure our actions match the values we talk about.

What questions should you ask to design more inclusively?

Inclusive design starts early in a project, not as a final checkbox. Ask these questions at kickoff and again before launch:
  • Who are we designing for, and is that the full audience or just the most obvious part of it?
  • Whose perspective shaped this idea, and who was missing from the room?
  • Who might experience this differently because of ability, age, language or background?
  • Are we representing our audience accurately in imagery, personas and stories?
  • Can everyone actually access and use what we built?
One of the easiest ways to broaden your perspective is to follow designers whose experiences differ from your own. A few worth exploring are , , and .

What does designing with intention mean for your brand?

Designing with intention is not a one-time project. It is a habit of asking better questions, listening before speaking and checking whether the work reflects the people it is meant to serve. That is what Better Together looks like in practice, and it is how we approach every brand and website we build.
If your brand or website could do a better job of reflecting the people you serve, our and teams can help. .
About Watermark is a Denver-based strategic marketing agency helping AEC and complex B2B organizations turn expertise into visibility, better-fit opportunities and measurable growth. Since 1980, our team has combined strategy, branding, website design, inbound marketing, RevOps, marketing automation and outbound campaigns to solve complex business challenges. We’ve made our mark. Now it’s time to make yours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is human-centered design the same as inclusive design?
They are closely related but not identical. Human-centered design focuses on the needs of the people using a product or experience. Inclusive design makes sure "the people" means everyone, including users whose abilities, backgrounds or circumstances are often overlooked.
Why does representation in marketing matter?
Marketing shapes how people see themselves and the brands speaking to them. When people cannot find themselves in a brand's imagery or stories, they are less likely to feel the brand is for them. Accurate representation builds trust and widens your reach.
Should a B2B company take a stance on social issues?
Only if the cause genuinely reflects the company's values and the company is willing to act on it. A statement without action can do more harm than silence. Listening first and supporting people already doing the work is usually more credible than issuing an opinion.
Where should a team start with inclusive design?
Start by auditing what you already have. Look at how your website and marketing depict people, run an accessibility check and review whether your personas reflect your real audience. Then build those checks into the start of every new project.

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