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By Rita Okoye
When most designers envision a user, they often picture someone who is a lot like themselves. Chimdi Chikezie doesn’t. He designs for those who are typically left out, including users with disabilities, non-English speakers, and those with low-bandwidth internet connections, among others.
Chimdi’s work in inclusive UX began during his freelance years in Nigeria, where he designed tools for clients with diverse audiences. “You can’t assume everyone scrolls with a thumb or reads left-to-right,” he says, recalling user tests with multilingual, low-bandwidth communities. This practical exposure planted the seed for a design philosophy rooted in equity and social justice.
In partnership with Professor Margaret Burnett, Chimdi developed usability evaluations that take into account cognitive diversity and accessibility. His framework pushes students to question what’s “standard” and who defines it. “Inclusion isn’t a feature,” he says. “It’s the foundation.”
In a recent project, Chimdi worked with a nonprofit serving rural communities in Nigeria. The feedback was striking: for many users, it was the first time a developer had genuinely asked about their needs and adapted the design to fit their realities. He now collaborates with nonprofits Nigeria and USA, building tools that serve rather than just function.
His students echo that sentiment. “Chimdi changed the way I think about users,” says HCI student Summit Haque. “I used to design for myself. Now I design for people I’ve never met.”
Whether he’s testing alternative navigation schemes for low-mobility users or co-authoring research on inclusive development pipelines, Chimdi is helping define a new normal for design: one where no one is an afterthought. His work reframes inclusion not as a form of charity, but as the standard of excellence.
Inclusive design is not an option; it’s a responsibility. And with every form, page, and button, Chimdi proves that when technology serves everyone, it benefits everyone. His work reframes inclusion not as charity, but as design excellence.
