Overview:
Procter & Gamble is a global company that is focused on disability representation and accessibility, with a decade-long track record of disability-inclusive innovation, spanning inclusive and accessible advertising, accessible product branding, employee recruitment, and inclusive product development.
P&G’s efforts in this space are being driven by multi-functional teams as it embeds inclusive design across marketing, research and development (R&D) and engineering – and this is manifested through introduction of audio description and captioning in advertising, tactile, ergonomic and sensory packaging improvements, intuitive and easy opening and usage, in-store navigation technology assistance and digital accessibility consultations.
Problem Definition:
There are 1.3 billion people in the world with a disability and often products and services are not designed with their inputs and needs. They can spend an extra 30 minutes on average buying a product; and that time does not account for the associated challenges in opening and using a product.
This is a fact that the vast majority of able-bodied individuals are not aware of but one that produces a complex but solvable challenge: creating products and packaging that are differentiated using tactile, ergonomic, sensory and cognitive cues, and developing packaging that is easier to navigate for consumers of all abilities.
Approach:
P&G’s Accessibility team sought to raise awareness of this issue through experiential learning opportunities, with leaders from all the teams involved in the product life cycle. Through the use of sight loss simulation glasses and sensory deprivation gloves, members of P&G’s R&D, Marketing, and Communications teams, as well as senior leaders in the organisation including the CEO, were able to experience the vision, strength, dexterity challenges many of the company’s consumers face.
This experience revealed a business challenge that many in senior leadership were unaware of – their product offerings were not creating an equal experience for all users. In fact, those using the goggles and gloves were unable to tell the difference between P&G shampoo and conditioner bottles and struggled to open packages of P&G’s Pampers diaper brand. This experience helped spark a company-wide sense of duty to make P&G’s products more accessible for all users.
P&G introduced tactile labelling to create additional differentiation through touch. That was followed by scannable identification barcodes on packaging, helping visually impaired customers independently distinguish items via audio guidance. Both required extensive collaboration internally among marketing, design, and engineering functions, as well as direct input from consumers with disabilities. It has evolved into design standards and capabilities that will be embedded in the organisation for years to come.
Executives also witnessed first-hand challenges faced through the experiential learning they undertook as part of this initiative. This built empathy and urgency to address unmet needs. Ongoing training combats unconscious bias while recruitment programs strengthen the company’s disabled talent pipelines.
Impact:
The efforts that have been made by P&G have increased brand recognition and value among the disability community, while allowing to better meet the needs of ALL consumers. As new launches adopt tactile, scannable features, products provide more intuitive usage – fulfilling ethical and business imperatives. Though specific ROI is unclear, early indicators including consumer feedback proved promising.
Looking Ahead:
P&G expects to drive scale as more of their products progressively integrate inclusive design principles in packaging and digital interfaces. Continued R&D focus on assistance technologies can further ease shopping and usage friction. Ongoing internal education such as an Inclusive Design Playbook, Disability Confidence training and disabled community engagement will inform efforts.
