Inclusive by Design

How service providers can reduce avoidable harm through inclusive design, accessible channels and human support in partnership with

Every day we interact with essential services, to access healthcare, manage our money, reach local authorities, and seek support when we need it.

The way in which we interact with services has fundamentally changed over the past decade, that change will only continue. At Mova, our work is guided by a simple belief: this change and innovation should reach everyone.

When service design fails to consider people with vulnerabilities, it can create barriers, deepen exclusion and cause real harm. We commissioned this report in partnership with AbilityNet, to centre the lived experiences of people facing vulnerability and explore how poorly designed services are creating foreseeable and preventable harm.

Download the report

Key findings

The report highlights how poorly designed services can create avoidable barriers for people with vulnerabilities, while showing that inclusive design, accessible channels and responsive human support can reduce harm and improve outcomes for everyone.

The report’s overarching findings include:

Poor services cause foreseeable and preventable harm

Inaccessible services can cause anxiety, stress, financial hardship and loss of independence. These harms are often preventable when services are designed around different user needs.

Pain points are widespread and cumulative

Participants faced barriers including difficult digital journeys, inaccessible identity checks, unclear communication and scripted, impersonal support. These frustrations often build across services, leaving people overwhelmed and at greater risk of crisis.

Channel use is shaped by need, accessibility and service experience

People facing vulnerability are not rejecting digital services; many use and value them. Problems arise when journeys are hard to complete, alternatives are unavailable, or human support is difficult to access. Genuine channel choice is essential.

The reliance on informal, overburdened carers is a serious threat

Most participants either relied on informal support or provided it to someone else. If these networks break down, the consequences for individuals, service providers and the state could be significant.

Five recommendations for service providers

Our report identifies five priority areas where service providers can take action to reduce avoidable harm and make essential services more inclusive:

1. Establish a minimum service standard

Create a voluntary cross-industry minimum service standard, agreed and applied across both public and private sectors, ensuring people with vulnerabilities receive consistent, accessible and compassionate support, regardless of provider.

2. Provide genuine channel choice

Ensure customers can access support online, by phone, on paper or in person, and move between channels without starting again.

3. Make digital services accessible, useable and completable

Design digital services so people can complete essential tasks with minimal friction, and provide quick access to human help when needed.

4. Communicate clearly, humanely and with authority to resolve issues

Use plain language, reduce unnecessary handovers and empower frontline teams properly to resolve issues.

5. Design for continuous inclusion

Embed accessibility and inclusion into governance, service design, testing and improvement processes from the outset, not as a secondary exercise.

Together, these recommendations point to a simple conclusion: services should be designed to reduce avoidable effort, not add to it. When providers offer clear communication, accessible digital tools, real channel choice and responsive human support, they reduce harm for vulnerable people and create better, more efficient services for everyone.