Creating new campfire moments: how the BBC designs for inclusivity

Insights Unlocked

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Show Notes

In this episode of Insights Unlocked, UserTesting’s Blair Fraser dives into a fascinating discussion with Emma Whitby and Aleks Gojkovic from the BBC's User Experience and Design (UX&D) team. Emma and Aleks share insights from their work on a project designed to help one of the BBC’s most valued audiences—retirees—transition from traditional broadcast services to digital platforms. They reveal how combining empathy-driven UX research with big data insights has led to a deeper understanding of this generation's unique challenges and needs, and discuss the innovative storytelling and design approaches that help build inclusive, accessible digital experiences.

Key Themes Discussed:

1. Designing with empathy for retirees in a digital world
2. Emma and Aleks share how they approached researching a user group that has long relied on broadcast services. Through community interactions and storytelling, they uncovered the daily reliance this audience places on TV and radio for structure, connection, and companionship. Emma and Aleks reveal how this research influenced their approach to human-centered design for a traditionally underserved audience.
3. The power of storytelling in UX research
4. UX research at the BBC goes beyond data points—Emma and Aleks highlight the importance of empathy and storytelling to convey user needs. They explain how using narrative alongside data helped them capture the attention of stakeholders and build emotional connections, transforming research findings into actionable insights.
5. Using big data to drive strategic decisions
6. Aleks discusses the role of big data in understanding and validating the significance of retirees as a core BBC audience. By blending quantitative data with qualitative insights, the UX&D team was able to highlight business opportunities and challenge common biases, underscoring how inclusive design can drive both user satisfaction and business success.
7. Innovative collaboration with the BBC’s Blue Room
8. Learn how the UX&D team partnered with the BBC’s Blue Room, a tech demo lab, to bring their insights to life through 3D digital recreations of retirees' living spaces. These interactive exhibits provide stakeholders with a firsthand look at the accessibility challenges retirees face, sparking innovation in designing user-friendly digital services.
9. Shaping the future of inclusive design at scale
10. Emma and Aleks discuss the ongoing impact of their project across the BBC, which has inspired collaboration and changes in product strategies. They share how, by focusing on retirees’ needs, they are challenging assumptions and advancing inclusive design practices that resonate with diverse audiences.

Episode Links:

• BBC’s Global Experience Language (GEL)
• BBC What is UX&D?
• BBC UX&D on LinkedIn
• Aleks Gojkovic on LinkedIn
• Blair Fraser on LinkedIn