Inclusive by Design: A Conversation with Solange Sobral on Project Nemo

Jul 30, 2025 | min read

In an industry often driven by speed, scale, and profit, Nemo – Art of the Possible offers a powerful counter-narrative—one that places inclusion, accessibility, and human dignity at its core.

Developed in collaboration with the Project Nemo initiative, this pioneering financial app prototype was designed to help adults with learning disabilities manage their money more safely and independently. By combining empowerment with built-in, trusted support, Nemo aims to reduce barriers and increase confidence in everyday financial tasks.

What makes Nemo especially unique is how it was created: co-designed with people who have lived experience, including individuals with learning disabilities, carers, accessibility advocates, and experts. The result is a tool that not only works for its users, but was shaped by them from the very start.

To explore the impact of this collaboration, the role of emerging technologies like Generative AI, and the broader implications for digital innovation, we spoke with our EVP and Partner, Solange Sobral. She shares why accessibility must be a strategic priority, the importance of inclusive design from day one, and how cross-sector collaboration can drive truly meaningful change.

Making ESG tangible: Why Project Nemo matters

Solange Sobral describes Project Nemo as a blueprint for embedding ESG principles directly into innovation. For her, the initiative is not just about building better products, but about creating systems where inclusion and sustainability are non-negotiable from the outset.

“This partnership is about embedding ESG into the very fabric of designing and delivering innovation,” she says. “When it’s fully embedded, ESG becomes a sustainable way of working—it shapes culture, behaviours, and how teams think every day.”

Project Nemo was built on this belief, with accessibility and inclusion as foundational elements. By involving individuals with learning disabilities, caregivers, and accessibility experts in every stage of design, CI&T created a product that doesn’t just function—it empowers.

The leadership gap in accessibility

As a leader, Solange Sobral continues to see a gap in how ESG is understood in the context of digital product development. While many organisations are making strides in internal diversity and inclusion—bringing more people from underrepresented groups into their operations and leadership—few are translating those efforts into their actual customer experiences.

“We’re still not seeing enough focus on transforming the end-user experience,” she explains. “It’s not just about who’s inside the company, but about what we’re building, who we’re building it for, and how inclusive those products and services truly are.”

Project Nemo, she says, demonstrates why this matters. The barriers faced by individuals with learning disabilities when navigating common financial apps highlight how current product strategies often fail to address real-world needs. The solution, she argues, lies in embedding inclusion into every stage of the digital product lifecycle—from roadmap to delivery—driven by strong intent at the top.

Fast, inclusive, and intentional: How Nemo was built

Despite its ambitious goals, Nemo was developed in just six weeks—a testament to the power of collaboration and responsible technology use. Our enterprise-ready Generative AI tool CI&T FLOW played an instrumental role in speeding up the design process without sacrificing quality or inclusivity.

“This project is a bold reminder that inclusive design doesn’t have to be slow or expensive—it just has to be intentional,” Solange Sobral notes.

Global gaps and the role of Generative AI

Solange Sobral explains how the real differences in accessibility efforts tend to appear not just across countries, but between sectors and organisations, especially where leadership is genuinely connected to the issue.

“What I’ve noticed is that, globally speaking, there’s a huge need for companies to make their digital products and services more accessible,” she explains. “But where top leadership is truly committed—where accessibility is on the boardroom agenda and gets executive backing—that’s where we see real progress.”

She points to leading financial institutions in Brazil as examples, where some have established dedicated accessibility teams, including people with disabilities, focused on making digital platforms more inclusive.

True accessibility, she stresses, must be designed in from day one and not retrofitted later. While customising for different needs can be complex, technologies like Generative AI make it possible to iterate and adapt rapidly. This approach was key to bringing Nemo from concept to prototype in under six weeks.

“We now have the tools to build accessible products better and faster,” she says. “What’s missing, in many cases, is the leadership’s intent to prioritise this work from the very beginning.”

What’s Next: From Prototype to Movement

For Solange Sobral, the vision behind this project reaches far beyond a single app—it’s about reshaping how the tech industry approaches accessibility at its core.

“This isn’t just a product—it’s a movement,” she says. “I hope it becomes a catalyst for systemic change across industries.”

By placing inclusion at the heart of innovation, Project Nemo is prompting financial institutions—and the wider digital ecosystem—to rethink how they design, build, and collaborate.

It offers a glimpse into a future where technology truly works for everyone. Grounded in the voices of people with lived experience, powered by responsible AI, and driven by leaders like Solange Sobral, Project Nemo demonstrates that inclusive design isn’t just essential—it’s transformative.

As she puts it: “Technology must work for all of us.”