Inclusive design as a catalyst for real change

Christina Mallon, head of inclusive design at Microsoft, brings deep expertise in creating products and experiences that work for everyone. In this episode, she joins Nathan to discuss how inclusive design fuels innovation and why brands must move beyond surface-level accessibility. Christina also shares her personal journey navigating both physical and cognitive disabilities in the workplace — and how those experiences have shaped her approach to designing with empathy, intention, and impact.

(04:47) Christina’s personal experience with visible and invisible disabilities

(08:17) What real disability inclusion looks like

(15:05) How co-design leads to meaningful inclusion

(19:13) Supporting neurodivergent women in the workplace with AI tools

Nathan Friedman: Welcome to "Minds at Work," the podcast for leaders who embrace neurodiversity in business. I'm your host, Nathan Friedman, co-president and chief marketing officer of Understood.org, the leading nonprofit focused on helping those who learn and think differently thrive. Each week we're here exploring how neurodiversity sparks innovation and how we as leaders across industries can create a more inclusive future for all.

Today, I'm joined by Christina Mallon. Christina leads inclusive design at Microsoft. Her career has been dedicated to making accessible products in the design and tech industries, and she's a pioneer in the field. She also brings her own lived experience to the table as someone who is neurodivergent and has dual arm paralysis. And this gives her a powerful perspective on how design can break down barriers, open opportunities, and unlock innovation.

I'm so delighted to have her here today to talk about her journey and to talk about what inclusive design really means in practice and about what the future looks like in this arena. Christina, welcome to "Minds at Work."

Christina Mallon: Thanks so much for having me, Nathan. Excited to be here and so honored to officially be part of a member of the Understood family.

Nathan: Thank you. Yeah. And we've crossed paths a bunch of times, but why don't we start off talking a bit about your role at Microsoft? What's the brief and what does this day-to-day look like for you?

Christina: Sure. So as director of inclusive design at Microsoft, my role ensures that accessibility and disability inclusion are embedded into the design process from the very beginning. So that means really working across teams, that could be product teams, engineering teams, research, and marketing. So really a mix of advocacy, creativity, and a lot of systems thinking.

(04:47) Christina’s personal experience with visible and invisible disabilities

Nathan: Can you talk a bit about how you got into inclusive design and why Microsoft for you?

Christina: Sure. So I developed an additional disability called ALS in my 20s. So at the time I was working in advertising similar to you and realized like people never think about disability within advertising. Who is left out of the conversation? And that's not just in the marketing but in the design. So really wanted to think about how can I change the system? And I started working on great inclusive campaigns and product development. And I really thought about, "How can I make an even larger impact?" And Microsoft was one of my clients at the time. And I thought, "Okay, well if we are coming into this new AI wave, I need to jump on that to ensure that we are thinking about accessibility from the start." Because around like I would say 80% of the internet is not accessible because accessibility wasn't thought of at the start when we were going into the internet, kind of wave. So I really wanted to make sure that as we move into this AI wave, I needed to be a part of it to get the disabled voice in every single part of the product development.

Nathan: Yeah. And then we, I think a lot of people think about the web and accessibility kind of separate, but they're actually go hand-in-glove, so to speak. There's a lot of information that people cannot consume and there's a lot of barriers for whether you're a customer shopping or somebody just looking for information. When you're thinking about some of the work you've done, is it grounded in the work you were doing before you worked in this area? Like did you start as a designer?

Christina: Yeah, so I started as a marketing strategist. So I had a really good understanding of the marketing aspect of it and the touch points there. But with design, I didn't really have much formal training. So I joined Open Style Lab, which is a nonprofit that takes engineers, fashion designers, occupational therapists to really co-create with the disability community, adaptive products. And from there, I really honed on my hard design skills with the help of my two partners, Grace and Pinar, to really bring that knowledge into the marketing ecosystem.

Nathan: And when you talk about the marketing ecosystem, does it go beyond digital?

Christina: Definitely. A lot of the work that I've done have been both physical and digital. So I got to work on a campaign and product development with Tommy Hilfiger on their line, "Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive." So we were helping them with different closure styles to make it easier with people with limited range of motion in their shoulders or limited ability to grasp things. So like magnetic buttons instead of just regular plastic buttons and things like that too, how do we ensure that the buying experience is as seamless as possible for individuals with cognitive disabilities?

Nathan: There's something about this acceptance of neurodivergence as well as people understanding what the benefits and powers are. When I started working trying to articulate that I, back then it really wasn't called neurodivergence, but I just said I have ADHD and dyslexia. People assumed, okay, we'll just work harder, do more, it'll be fine. It actually for me was about doing things differently, not just working harder, but trying different ways to see how I could thrive at work. And I think we both worked at the same holding company. Yeah, the same type of agencies and those agencies aren't as flexible as one would have hoped they would be.

Christina: Yeah.

Nathan: Christina, talk to me a little bit about how you discovered you were neurodivergent. Were there signs or did someone bring this up in some sort of way for you? And how has that kind of changed how you work on a day-to-day basis?

Christina: So I was clinically diagnosed in second grade. So I think my parents identified that there was maybe something different than my older brother who's not neurodivergent. And realized that I really struggled with learning, executive functioning, and wanted to make sure that I had the best resources possible. So they were able to figure out that I had ADHD. And I worked with teachers and my parents to set up different practices that allowed me to focus better and really like isolate me when I'm doing homework and things like that and having, you know, different learning styles to ensure that the homework or the teaching materials were provided in things like recordings and video rather than just reading. And I was able to really be successful because of that and because of medication.

Nathan: And how did that transform throughout your schooling, through high school and into getting your first job?

Christina: Yeah, I think that knowing how to adapt at an early age based off of a world that wasn't designed for me in mind, was a skill that I worked on so early that I was able to apply it to middle school, high school, college, and into how I work. And while I tended to do more work than others because I'm living in a world not designed for me in mind, I always factored that in so that I could compete with non-neurodivergent individuals.

(08:17) What real disability inclusion looks like

Nathan: I had the opportunity to take a tour there last year and the sensory rooms and how they're so purposeful in that design and woven into everything they do. It's not an afterthought. It's actually, as you mentioned, kind of starts at the top of that organization and is woven throughout. I mean, I actually love that the mascot has headphones on.

Christina: Yeah.

Nathan: It's a nuance, but it's a really important one because it allows people to see themselves in something that they admire.

Christina: Definitely.

Nathan: You know, if you're looking ahead in the future and let's all look into our crystal balls here, what innovations do you predict or what are you most excited about in the future?

Christina: I mean, I've mentioned it a few times in this podcast, but I'm really excited about the intersection of AI and accessibility.

Nathan: Yes.

Christina: The customization approach is really what I think is going to be a game changer. Because like you said, like it's really hard to build for all. And that's why I do inclusive design instead of universal design, because universal design is saying you're building for everyone. Inclusive design is saying you're building for more people but not for everyone. And here with AI, you are able to really create customized experiences for the needs of more people. And I think, you know, I'm really passionate about the inclusive hiring tools that are coming out based off AI and sensory-friendly design. That's really, really exciting. I'm starting to see a lot more companies really think about that.

My daughter's ballet school has the "Nutcracker" and they have sensory rooms. And I was just so nice, and it's a very tiny ballet studio. And I just, I chose it because of that.

Nathan: That's awesome.

Christina: And just starting to see more businesses really think of that, especially in the physical space. And then I'm seeing, you know, different schools when I look at schools for my daughter that are really thinking about, "How are we using AI to create customized learning for all kids?" which is really, really lovely. And I wish they had that when I was little.

Nathan: Completely. And I think, you know, whether you're at a creative industry like advertising or you're in technology or you're in any other field, we need to find those little stories and celebrate that because that is the power of different thinking.

Christina: I really agree. And I think about how one of the founders of IKEA has dyslexia. And one of the reasons why a lot of the instructions don't have actual words and and it's more kind of drawings and things like that is because it was just easier for someone with dyslexia, but now it benefits everyone who's maybe not a native, you know, English speaker. So I just think that thinking differently leads to innovation and getting those stories out are so important. And that's why I still, you know, am involved with the marketing teams at Microsoft because we need to get those stories out or people's opinions aren't going to shift.

Nathan: No, and it's those stories which have the little ahas that everyone can relate to. I mean, who's ever picked up an instruction manual and been like, "What the heck is this? I have to do how many steps?"

Christina: Now cognitive overload.

Nathan: That is a nice way of putting it. Christina Mallon, thank you so much. It's been great to have you on this podcast and look forward to seeing and speaking with you again soon.

Christina: Awesome. Thanks so much, Nathan, and thank you so much, Understood. Really appreciate you giving me the platform just to talk about my experience.

Nathan: You're welcome. Thank you so much.

"Minds at Work" is brought to you by Understood.org. Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give.

The show is produced by Julie Subrin and Alison Hoachlander. Mixing is by Justin D. Wright, with production support from Andrew Rector. Briana Berry is our production director.

From Understood.org, our executive directors are Laura Key and Scott Cocchiere. And I'm your host, Nathan Friedman.