Every insight starts with a question.
At Knowable Me, the questions we ask shape the kind of inclusion we make possible. They set the tone for how people share their experiences, and they determine whether the answers we receive are genuine, detailed, and useful.
Inclusive research isn't just about who takes part — it's also about how the conversation begins.
When we design a survey or interview, we think carefully about three things.
We avoid jargon, acronyms, or "double-barrelled" questions that force people to guess what we really mean.
For example, instead of asking "Was the website a good experience?" we break it down into things people can actually observe:
Those small changes make a big difference. They turn vague opinions into specific, actionable insights.
We want people to be able to share honestly without worrying they'll be judged or excluded. That's why our questions never frame someone's experience as a "problem."
Instead of "How does your disability make this harder?" we might ask "What could make this easier or more enjoyable for you?"
It's a subtle shift, but it signals respect — and it leads to richer answers. Sometimes those answers will have nothing to do with a person's disability, which is why asking specifically about disability has the potential to miss opportunities to improve the experience.
People don't live in the context of their disability. It just is who they are, and just one piece of their context.
When someone tells us about their online shopping habits, for example, we also learn about their time pressures, confidence with technology, and financial choices. That layered understanding helps our clients design for real lives, not hypothetical users.
We also test and re-test our questions before they go out. People with lived experience of disability, neurodivergence, or other forms of exclusion review every survey. They tell us where we've made assumptions, where our language might feel off, or where a question might need more context.
Sometimes, the most useful insight comes from those moments of correction.
Research that respects both participants and data. Every answer tells us something about how people move through the world — and how small design decisions can make that journey easier, fairer, or more dignified.
That's what we learn when we ask well.
Kelly is the Managing Director of [Knowable.Me](http://knowable.me/), driving value creation and providing data and insights into the needs and preferences of people with disabilities.
Throughout her career, Kelly has held senior corporate roles in Complaints, Accessibility & Inclusion, Customer Experience, and Brand & Communications. Her blend of strategic thinking and human-centred design methodologies brings alignment of disparate groups to influence positive momentum and drive growth.
Kelly holds Chair and non-executive board roles and is a member of the Technology, Innovation & Value Creation Committee of Swinburne University. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Kelly identifies as “blind, with just enough vision to be dangerous” and is ably assisted by her guide dog, Zali.
This article is written by one of our brilliant community members. Their experiences, opinions and perspectives are uniquely their own — and that’s exactly why they matter. They don’t necessarily reflect the views of Knowable Me or our partners, but they do reflect real life. And we think sharing real life is how things change.
Knowable Me acknowledges that Australia contains hundreds of nations, spanning more than 65,000 years, and we live and work on land unceded by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.Their wisdom, story telling, and deep listening is a history we pay respect to in the way we conduct business.
