A chat with Sheena Campbell from the Patient Information Forum (PIF).

This episode covers the importance of health literacy and how numbers and data can be confusing or challenging for many people when accessing healthcare services.

We discuss how numbers appear in healthcare, such as medication dosages, appointment times, and risk and benefit communication. Sheena provides insights and tips on how to present health information and data in more accessible and understandable ways.

01:44: Sheena's relationship with numbers

02:16: Overview of the Patient Information Forum (PIF)

04:03: Membership and benefits of PIF

05:11: Health literacy

08:41: Numbers in healthcare

13:25: Communicating medical risks and benefits

23:03: Health information in medical settings

32:02: Writing medical questions

35:53: User-centered design in health information

40:49: Misinformation in health information

Follow Sheena Campbell on LinkedIn and Bluesky. Visit and pifonline.org.uk and piftick.org.uk.

Transcript and bio available at accessiblenumbers.com/accessible-health-information

Explore Geri Reid's personal experience with dyscalculia and her professional work in accessibility and design systems.

We discuss the challenges people with dyscalculia face when using digital services, deceptive design patterns (like hidden fees, sneaky upsells, and countdown timers) that can exploit those challenges, and design patterns that can help make numbers more accessible.

We also talk about how internal tools and documentation are often overlooked for accessibility but are vital for employees who struggle with numbers.

01:10 Lived experience with dyscalculia

03:34 Challenges with design components

08:29 Financial transactions and vulnerabilities

13:18 Designing for accessibility in financial services

20:41 Internal documentation and accessibility

29:00 Deceptive design patterns

38:53 Helpful design patterns and tools

44:37 Improving accessibility in design systems

Follow Geri on LinkedIn and Bluesky.

Transcript, bio and links available on accessiblenumbers.com/inclusive-design-systems

How does growing up in poverty impact our relationship with money and financial services? Lead content designer Ray Newman shares his lived experience.

We cover how poorer people pay more for essential services and goods (poverty premium), deceptive patterns, financial vulnerability, and access to digital services.

We discuss how assumptions and a lack of understanding of the realities of poverty can lead to non-inclusive and inaccessible services.

01:17: Ray's experience with numbers

Ray shares his experience with numbers and how he copes with numbers as a content designer.

02:34: Content designers and number anxiety

The prevalence of number anxiety among content designers and the strategies they use to manage it.

03:59:Financial inclusion and poverty

Ray talks about his recent discussions on designing for people in poverty, sharing his own experiences growing up in poverty.

05:44:The psychological impact of poverty

Ray delves into the psychological effects of growing up in poverty, including the anxiety and habits formed around money.

08:04:Deceptive patterns and financial vulnerability

Laura and Ray discuss how people in poverty are vulnerable to deceptive patterns in services and the importance of transparency in pricing.

13:20: Access to services and digital inclusion

The challenges of accessing services, the role of public spaces like libraries, and the impact of digital-only services on vulnerable populations.

19:11: Financial habits and inclusion

Financial habits formed due to poverty, such as the reliance on cash and the challenges of digital payments.

25:26: The role of organisations in financial inclusion

Ways organisations can practise financial inclusion, such as changing their mindset and being transparent about costs.

44:02: Practical steps for inclusive design

Practical advice for designers on how to consider people living in poverty from the start of a project.

Follow Ray onLinkedIn andBluesky.

Show notes, bio and transcript available at accessiblenumbers.com/poverty-and-financial-inclusion