No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
It is normal to be different: Applying inclusive design in industry
Abstract
This paper describes the case for inclusive design developed by the Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge. This is based on 10 years experience researching inclusive design and promoting it in industry. The approach is a pragmatic one, bridging from where many companies currently are to a more inclusive approach. This paper uses the starting point that ‘it is normal to be different’ with regards to a person’s capabilities, in order to reframe the argument from a disability focus to one that examines population diversity as a whole. A practical commercial response to this diversity is described by representing capability variation using traditional market segments and personas. Finally different design responses are discussed that address the range of capabilities in the population.
... The importance of Inclusive Design can be highlighted in the contexts of population ageing, legal considerations such as the Disability Discrimination Act in the UK, and the sociological and personal implications of independent living (Hosking, Waller, & Clarkson, 2010;. In addition, there are business drivers for Inclusive Design including untapped markets, opportunities for innovation, competitive advantage and brand recognition for accessible and easy to use products (Dong, 2004;Hosking et al., 2010;. ...
... The importance of Inclusive Design can be highlighted in the contexts of population ageing, legal considerations such as the Disability Discrimination Act in the UK, and the sociological and personal implications of independent living (Hosking, Waller, & Clarkson, 2010;. In addition, there are business drivers for Inclusive Design including untapped markets, opportunities for innovation, competitive advantage and brand recognition for accessible and easy to use products (Dong, 2004;Hosking et al., 2010;. The argument has been put forward that Inclusive Design is about good design (Coleman, 2006;, and ideally it should not be a subspeciality, but rather it should be standard design practice. ...
... Thirdly, this implies that business practice had to change in order to accommodate this mainstream approach to Inclusive Design. Various inclusively designed products have been brought to market including the Oxo Goodgrips line of kitchen products, BT Big Button Phones, the B&Q Sandbug, Fiskars Softouch scissors, the Ford Focus and Toyota Porte (Clarkson & Coleman, 2010;Coleman, 2006;Hosking et al., 2010;Mueller, 2003;Warburton, 2005). Though these products testify to the value of an inclusive approach to product development, they still remain few in number compared to the vast number of manufactured products on the market. ...
Designers are required to evaluate their designs against the needs and capabilities of their target user groups in order to achieve successful, inclusive products. This dissertation presents exploratory research into the specific problem of supporting analytical design evaluation for Inclusive Design. The analytical evaluation process involves evaluating products with user data rather than testing with actual users. The work focuses on the exploration of a capability-demand model of product interaction as the basis for analytical inclusive evaluation. This model suggests that by comparing the measured sensory, cognitive and motor capabilities of a user population to the corresponding product demands, the degree of fit between users and products can be assessed.
The research problem was addressed by firstly examining theories of human function and performance together with existing sources of user capability data. It was found that user capability data was fragmented and lacking in terms of predicting design exclusion and difficulty at the population level. More fundamentally, however, it was found that the relationships between measured capability in populations with low functional capacity and real world task performance with products (such as errors, times and difficulty) were not well understood. Given that an understanding of these relationships are necessary to guide capability data collection and to drive valid and robust analytical evaluation methods, the research effort focused on exploring these relationships via empirical and analytical studies.
The research process culminated in an experimental study with nineteen users of various functional capability profiles performing tasks with four consumer products (a clock radio, a mobile phone, a blender and a vacuum cleaner). Measures of user capability were related to corresponding product demands (on those capabilities) and task outcome measures. A complex picture emerged, where linear relationships did not generally account for significant variance in task outcome measures. Further, it appeared that multiple capabilities were possibly interacting in unknown ways to support real world interaction. These indicative results point to the further investigation of multivariate and non-linear models for describing capability-demand relationships, and also the replication of similar studies with larger sample sizes to confirm the relationships observed. The resulting overall recommendation, therefore, is that there is a need to direct research efforts in this critical but largely unexplored area of capability-demand model building for Inclusive Design evaluation.
... The findings were discussed with academics and people from industry and, with further analysis and iteration, a model was developed as shown in Figure 2. The model arranges the different design outcomes in relation to one another and to people with different levels of difficulties in the user population. The population can be broken down into groups of people with different levels of difficulties (the exact number in each level depends on the kind of capabilities being considered) [17]. Accessibility focuses on helping those with severe difficulties to use the product. ...
... Model showing how usability, accessibility and inclusion relate to each other and to the target population. The pyramid is based on the population pyramid in Hosking et al, 2010[17]. ...
Accessibility, usability and inclusion are all important outcomes
when developing digital services, but previous work and experiences indicate
that design practitioners may be confused about the differences between them,
resulting in difficulties using them in practice. The study in this paper explores
designers' understanding of these outcomes using a mini-Delphi method with 11
design practitioners from across two large organisations who work on the design of new or improved technology to be used by internal and external endusers. The study found that designers are indeed confused about the difference
between the terms and identified a need for greater clarity. This paper addresses
this by outlining a simple framework for understanding the relationship between accessibility, usability and inclusion, arguing that each should have a distinct and complementary focus. It is recommended that these are addressed systematically, in an integrated way, to develop digital services that address a wider range of user needs across the population.
... Similar terms are also used in both academia and practice, including Universal Design, Design for All, Accessible Design, and Trans-Generational Design. Despite terminological differences, these approaches are fundamentally about the accommodation of human diversity in the design of universal services (Hosking et al., 2010;Persson et al., 2015;Story and Mueller, 2001). ...
... However, there is a lack of comprehensive and up-to-date datasets Langdon et al., 2015). Furthermore, the often-used disability model in capturing capability data is considered less useful due to its weak connection with design Hosking et al., 2010). For instance, the question "Tell the time of day, without any confusion" is used as an indication of the respondent's cognitive capability (Keates and Clarkson, 2004, p.203-205) whereas this vague description cannot effectively help designers make decisions. ...
The advance in digital technologies is placing increasingly high demands on users’ cognitive capabilities, resulting in ubiquitous cognitive challenges (e.g. memory overload) in everyday interaction with products. Such challenges can be attributed to the inadequate understanding of cognitive capability for informing design. The literature review further specifies that current research has largely ignored how user cognition is understood and implemented by designers. This study thus aims to advance the understanding of user cognition by adding the designers’ perspective. This research adopts a mixed method approach, which helps highlight and address the designerly ways of knowing as well as the implicit nature of cognition in design. The research framework consists of three phases. First, the language differences between design practise and cognitive research were confirmed by interviewing designers and analysing designers’ articles. Second, a review of design languages of cognition and ethnographic fieldwork were conducted to explore the designerly ways of understanding and implementing cognition. Finally, the findings were tested in a larger-scale survey. By explicating the related design languages, this research elucidates designers’ Micro, Meso, and Macro perspectives on user cognition, thereby expanding the current rational information-processing conception of cognition to a more context-based understand- ing. The multiple perspectives also add more embodied and situated considerations to the conventional focus on elementary information processing capacity, advancing the existing understanding of users’ cognitive capabilities. Hence, this study enhances the predominant way of conceptualising user cognition in design research and empirically supports the postulated situated nature of cognition in cognitive research. Furthermore, it recognises a specific application field within the broader landscape of cognitive research, suggesting that designing interactions has its own research agenda rather than relying on other established sub-areas.
... Inclusive design researchers have attempted to understand which characteristics of interactions cause difficulty and exclusion for people in general and specifically for people with capability impairments [1]. It has been demonstrated that adoption of inclusive design tools and processes during the design and development of mainstream products and services can not only improve the uptake for those with capability impairment, but also improve the user experience for those who do not consider themselves impaired [2]. ...
... A very familiar example is 'age related long-sightedness' (presbyopia) which starts to affect people over the age of 40, which makes adjusting the focal length of the eye to near distances more difficult, and therefore can cause exclusion in situations where reading glasses are not worn, or varifocal lenses are inappropriate. 2 M. Bradley et al. ...
This paper looks at recent trends in automotive human machine interfaces, with a lens of evaluation from an inclusive design perspective. The goal of Inclusive Design is to ensure that the population of potential users for a product or service is maximized. Until relatively recently, automotive human machine interfaces (HMI’s) have excluded and caused difficulties for users due to visibility, reach and force required to operate controls. Over the last 15 or so years however, there has been a significant increase in control and display location, interface types and integration of functions, as well as dramatically increased potential functionality due to in-vehicle emergent technologies. It is suggested that this increase in interface unfamiliarity for a driver will cause significant difficulty and potential exclusion, due to the demands of learning and conflicts in expectation. The effects on this trend in the context of an ageing population and automated driving technologies are discussed.
... Inclusive design researchers have attempted to understand which characteristics of interactions cause difficulty and exclusion for people in general and specifically for people with capability impairments [1]. It has been demonstrated that adoption of inclusive design tools and processes during the design and development of mainstream products and services can not only improve the uptake for those with capability impairment, but also improve the user experience for those who do not consider themselves impaired [2]. ...
... A very familiar example is 'age related long-sightedness' (presbyopia) which starts to affect people over the age of 40, which makes adjusting the focal length of the eye to near distances more difficult, and therefore can cause exclusion in situations where reading glasses are not worn, or varifocal lenses are inappropriate. 2 M. Bradley et al. ...
This paper looks at recent trends in automotive human machine interfaces, with a lens of evaluation from an inclusive design perspective. The goal of Inclusive Design is to ensure that the population of potential users for a product or service is maximised. Until relatively recently, automotive human machine interfaces (HMI’s) have excluded and caused difficulties for users due to visibility, reach and force required to operate controls. Over the last 15 or so years however, there has been a significant increase in control and display location, interface types and integration of functions, as well as dramatically increased potential functionality due to in-vehicle emergent technologies. It is suggested that this increase in interface unfamiliarity for a driver will cause significant difficulty and potential exclusion, due to the demands of learning and conflicts in expectation. The effects on this trend in the context of an ageing population and automated driving technologies are discussed.
... Implicitly it recognises that ageing, capability impairment and disability should be designed for wherever possible in the goods and services for use by the mainstream population. It has been shown that adoption of inclusive design approaches during the design and development of mainstream products and services can not only improve the uptake for those with capability impairment, but also improve the user experience for those who do not consider themselves impaired [2]. From the authors' experiences it seems that many people prefer tasks that require less of their capabilities (typically: visual acuity, dexterity, cognitive ability) to be achieved successfully. ...
... Older participants had substantially worse success rates, but the contribution of age related capability impairments to this cannot be isolated [10]. A Microsoft survey from 2003, found only 21 % of working age adults reported being able to operate ICT equipment without difficulty [2]. ...
In the assessment of the inclusivity of products with interfaces for digital devices, there are difficulty and validity issues relating the cognitive demand of using and learning an unfamiliar interface to the capabilities outlined in the population source data. This is due to the disparity between the types of cognitive tasks used to create the source data, and those needed to operate a digital interface.
Previous work to understand the factors affecting successful interactions with novel digital technology interfaces has shown that the user’s technology generation, technology prior experience and their motivation are significant. This paper suggests a method which would permit digital interfaces to be assessed for inclusivity by similarity to known interaction patterns. For a digital device interface task that contained a non-transparent or novel interaction pattern, then the resulting cognitive workload could also be assessed.
... without the need for special adaptation or specialised design. (British Standards Institute 2005) It requires designers to examine variations in people's abilities and needs, looking at diversity across the population as a whole rather than identifying and trying to respond differently to particular needs of distinct groups (Newell and Gregor 2002;Hosking, Waller, and Clarkson 2010). Rather than designing 'for the disabled' or 'the elderly', inclusive design works to make products that almost everyone can use effectively. ...
... Considering the needs of different user groups in this way prompted students to broaden their understanding of the purpose of design from being exclusively concerned with commercial values to embracing notions of social responsibility and equity. It is important to acknowledge, however, that inclusive design is commercially valuable as it extends the reach of products to include as wide a section of the population as possible and, as Hosking et al. (2010) point out, the arguments for inclusive design are commercially compelling. These students' comments illustrate how the project had helped them to gain insights into variation in people's capabilities: ...
This article offers evidence from a classroom-based research study in English secondary schools which developed an innovative approach to teaching in Design and Technology based on inclusive design (also known as universal design). The research evidence highlights how creative, problem-solving approaches in Design and Technology can be used to provide authentic, engaging learning experiences for students. This study, entitled ‘Designing our Tomorrows', introduced secondary school teachers and students to the principles and practices of inclusive design through an intervention using specially designed resources. In this article, findings from the study's qualitative pre- and post-intervention interviews are presented to illustrate how this type of approach can stimulate students' creativity and understanding of design.
... Subsequently, we formed a 1 st order concept associated with the overlook of social diversity of impaired individuals in IS design (Keller et al., 2000;Olbrich et al., 2015;Wass et al., 2023;Wentz et al., 2015), and a concept with promoting participation and empowerment of impaired individuals through collaborative design efforts (Benton & Johnson, 2015;Brereton et al., 2015). These concepts involve applying design approaches like ID (Hosking et al., 2010), DfA (Abascal & Nicolle, 2005), UCD (Benton & Johnson, 2015;Newell & Gregor, 2002), PD (Brereton et al., 2015;Newell et al., 2011) and USID (Newell et al., 2011;Newell & Gregor, 2002). Additionally, we developed a 1 st order concept related to social barriers, including stereotypes and biases towards impaired individuals, which can be addressed by design approaches like ID, UCD, PD and USID (Pethig & Kroenung, 2019;Toboso, 2011;Wass et al., 2023). ...
Designing information systems (IS) for impaired individuals is crucial yet challenging. Current inclusive design approaches often prioritize technical functionality in artifact design. However, they frequently overlook social and structural factors within design processes, such as promoting social inclusion or addressing stereotypes. This limits design processes’ inclusivity. To address this research problem, we conducted a systematic literature review of inclusive design approaches unveiling six inclusion principles. These principles, derived from examining inclusive design approaches against the functional, social and critical disability model, advocate social and structural dimensions, which existing inclusive design approaches often neglect. The proposed principles can thus guide designers to more effectively incorporate functional, social and structural dimensions of disability in design approaches and by this, can foster greater inclusivity.
... 纪 50 年代的无障碍（Barrier-free）运动开启了公共 政策和设计实践的变革，60 年代西方的民权运动激 发了随后的失能人士权力运动 [6] ，进而对立法产生了 重大影响 [7] 。许多新颁布的法律禁止对失能者的歧视， 并要求为他们享受教育、住房、电信和交通等公共服 务创造条件 [8] [17] 。美国雪城大学（Syracuse University）的珀克 尔（James Pirkl）教授和他的同事们提出了跨代设计 （Transgenerational Design）的概念以及一系列适用于 这一概念的指导方针和战略，主张产品、服务和环境 同时满足不同年龄和能力人群的需求，尤其强调老年 人应能与年轻人在同一环境中共事 [18] 。美国建筑师、 设计师和教育先驱梅斯（Ron Mace）则对通用设计 的概念给出了有效的定义，并将这一概念从无障碍设 计强调环境应适合失能人士的语境逐步发展为强调产 品和环境不需要作特别调整而尽最大可能为所有人可 用的理念 [5] 。在北欧斯堪的纳维亚地区，类似概念称 为全纳设计（Design for All） ，强调产品应被设计为可 让最广泛的用户群使用，包容人类的多样性，尊重人 的平等 [19] 。而在英国，包容性设计这一术语最常被用 来表示这一类的概念，其主旨是在认识到用户群体多 样性的情况下，倡导主流的产品、服务和建成环境应 尽可能满足更多人的需求 [16] ，或者说，将设计可能产 生的排斥度降到最低 [20] 。和通用设计与全纳设计强 调在技术可能性允许的条件下将可及性最大化略有不 同，包容性设计主张为产品、服务和建成环境选取合 适的市场区间，通过降低对用户使用能力的要求，从 而将产品的主要适用人群在合理的可能性下最大化， 并提升用户体验和满意度 [21] Technology） ，也在上世纪得到了长足发展。由于大 量的残疾退伍军人从二战战场返回，改进假肢和矫正 技术得到重视和加强，康复工程成为应用科学原理和 工程方法解决这类问题的专业学科， "辅助技术"则 专指那些为增强失能人士的肢体、感官和认知能力而 生，襄助其在忽视他们需求的不友好环境中具备更独 立能力的个人设备和相关技术。一些辅助技术和产品 已经深度融入了我们的日常生活，如眼镜、假牙、轮 椅、拐杖和助听器等。做了小腿截肢手术的南非田径 运动员皮斯托瑞斯（Oscar Pistorius）甚至可以借助高 科技假肢跑出 10 秒 91 的百米成绩，足以令绝大多数 四肢健全的普通人望尘莫及。剑桥大学已故著名理论 物理学家霍金（Stephen William Hawking）患有严重 的肌肉萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症，但通过包括语音合成 器在内的一整套高科技个人辅助技术装置，在患病后 的数十年仍能够不断进行前沿的物理学研究并发表高 水平著作，甚至进行极富其个人特色的演讲和客串电 视剧演出。 尽管源于不同的历史渊源和视角，包容性设计 / 通用设计 / 全纳设计 / 跨代设计和专用辅助技术的目 的是近乎一致的，即减少和消除失能者与普通人之间 在生理和思想观念上的隔阂。包容性设计 / 通用设计 / 全纳设计 / 跨代设计努力帮助失能者融入主流群体， 而辅助技术则试图满足失能个体的特殊需求。两者之 间存在许多交叉重叠的灰色区域，大量产品、服务和 环境难以界定自身的通用性、包容性和专用辅助性。 例如无障碍坡道原本为轮椅使用者而设计，但当人们 需要使用小推车搬送重物时，它也是不可或缺的便利 设施。针对利基市场开发的语音合成和识别技术在为 有视力障碍的用户提供替代性的信息输入输出方式方 面找到了应用场景，但对于打字速度不快的一般用户 来说，也是快速输入文字的利器。 难以否认，失能者福祉的重大提升主要来自于医 疗和辅助技术的突破和演进，毕竟就个体而言，设计 再周详的导盲设施也难以和能让失明患者重见光明的 人工晶状体相媲美。然而技术创新的价值实现很大程 度上依赖于是否能成功地实现商业化和普遍应用，将 其转化为可用、可及的产品、服务或环境，从这个意 义上说，技术进步总是为包容性设计创造了更多的可 能性，提供了更好的平台。包容性设计可以在有限的 资源约束下，为创造尽可能多的普惠价值提供方法和 途径，从而与辅助技术的发展相辅相成。企业并购活 动也反映了这一趋势 ：2017 年，全球领先的视觉障 碍辅助技术厂商 VFO 就收购了可及性软件及咨询公 司 Paciello 集团（TPG） ，以加强从包容性设计的视角 进行可及性审计、培训和用户体验研究 [22] [23] 。此外失能者 还存在共生的能力 缺失问题，一项关于失能障碍的细致研究 [24] 表明 ： 83% 存在某种严重能力缺失的人同时存在另一种能力 缺失。在微软公司关于工作年龄段（16-64 岁）美国 成年人的视力、听力、认知、语言和灵敏度方面存在 的困难与障碍的研究报告 [25] 基础上，他们绘制了图 5 所示的"群体金字塔"模型 [26] 。 "群体金字塔"展现 了群体中的个体能力多样性差异 ：包容性设计并不以 失能者为中心，也避免采用"辅助技术" ，而是通过 合理降低能力要求，提升在不同情境下广泛客户群的 产品体验 [20] [29] [34] ， 不仅可能遭遇种种挑战， 而且还有诸多问题有待解决 [35] ，比如通用设计 / 包容 性设计更关注实用性功能而较少涉及审美和外观的影 响，多数设计原则也缺乏可量化的衡量标准等等。尽 管有一些进展，但和诸如对"可持续"概念的关注相 比， "包容性"并未获得足够的瞩目，也没有对多数 设计师的个人和职业身份产生影响 [36] Human Rights, 2004, 31(3）: 10-11. ...
本文通过对通用设计和包容性设计原则的理念根源和发展演变过程进行梳理、比较和分析，探讨了包容性设计原则的适用对象、能力和需求差异、人本主义的视角以及经济因素的影响，总结了包容性设计原则存在的问题和挑战。笔者认为通用设计和包容性设计原则不仅仅是一种具有人文关怀的设计理念，更是优化人与环境互动，提升资源利用效率和价值的设计方法。当然，为了在更广泛的现实领域可持续地实施包容性设计，需要从系统的视角拓展更坚实的理论基础。
... An appropriate awareness of people applies not only to the recipients of care ( Hosking et al. 2014;Erwin & Krishnan 2016), but also the providers of care (Lucas & Nacer 2015). It is important to acknowledge diversity and that health and care services should be accessible to, and usable by, as many people as reasonably possible, regardless of age ( Keates & Clarkson 2003;Hosking, Waller & Clarkson 2010;Waller et al. 2015). Equally, it is important to understand that a chief executive can have a significant impact on an organisation through their actions and behaviour, creating a culture that values the importance of the quality of relationships between employees and, most critically, the people in their care. ...
This paper builds on the author’s keynote address to the Design Society’s 21st International Conference on Engineering Design in 2017 and in doing so provides a personal perspective to the question of the title. It begins by describing the engineering experience of the author which led to an understanding of the importance of taking a systems approach to the development of engineering products and services. This is followed by reflections on the development of a research portfolio focused on the design of complex engineering systems, inclusive design and healthcare improvement. The paper then reports on the recent work of engineers, clinicians and healthcare leaders, who came together under the guidance of the author, to explore how an engineering systems approach could be described that might simultaneously meet the needs of patients, carers and healthcare staff. It discusses the challenges associated with the translation of this narrative description of a systems approach ( What? ) into a practical implementation guide or toolkit ( How? ), supported by evidence of its effective use in health and care improvement practice. Finally, the paper reflects on the lessons to be learned from this process and their possible repercussions for design research and the practice of design.
... Other authors prefer the term "Inclusive Design" because, in their view, "Universal Design" or "Design for All" are often interpreted literally and incorrectly to advocate the design of one product that meets the needs of the entire population (Keates & Clarkson, 2003). Unlike these "more aspirational" approaches", their approach assumes that no design will work perfectly for everyone (Clarkson and Coleman, 2015) and that meeting everyone's needs may require combining mainstream products with specialist solutions (Hosking, Waller, & Clarkson, 2010). ...
Inclusive design prescribes addressing the needs of the widest possible audience in
order to consider human differences. Taking differences seriously, however, may imply
severely restricting “the widest possible audience”. In confronting this paradox, we
investigate to what extent Rawls’ theory of justice as fairness applies to design. By converting
the paradox into the question of how design can be fair, we show that the demand for
equitability shifts from the design output to the design process. We conclude that the two
main questions about justice find application in design: the question about the standards of
justice and the question about its metrics. We endorse a Rawlsian approach to the former,
while some revision may be due regarding the latter.
... The authorship team and the Engineering Design Centre have researched and carried out user trials with older users both in academia [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13], and in industry, many of which are not published for intellectual property and competitive commercial reasons, for over 25 years each as well as developing understanding [14], tools and resources such as the inclusive design toolkit [15], the third age suit [16] and resources to enable designers and engineers to better understand how to design for ageing. From our experiences and other researchers' work, making errors in unfamiliar digital interfaces for low technology experienced older adults is more likely [12], as a trial and error approach is more prevalent [17] and potentially highly problematic [2], partly due to limited prior technology experience [9,18,19] and partly due to age-related reliance on their crystallised intelligence [20]. ...
Older users with limited technology prior experience represent an important user group, in part due to their increase in the population in developed countries. The authorship team collectively have decades of research experience as well as significant industrial experience as part of knowledge transfer, conducting user trials and designing for this user group. It can be difficult to effectively communicate the depth of difficulties that older users can experience with new technologies and new technology interfaces, particularly to clients in technology sectors. Technology adoption models explain the factors that are at play in the likelihood of a user adopting and persisting with a particular type of technology, however they do not depict the temporal aspect of this journey. In previous work the user journey experience was simplified to aid comprehension from a design opportunity perspective and elapsed time. From some initial positive feedback from knowledge transfer clients with this simplified learning diagram, this paper proposes a series of depictions using this as a basis for communicating more specific and nuanced older user experiences to corporate stakeholders, principally designers and engineers.
... D&T student activities should be based on authentic and messy problems typically faced by designers, for example, the problems associated with capability loss and how this affects older people when eating. At the heart of the cultural activity is the iterative design process of explore, create, evaluate and manage (Hosking et al. 2010). This process becomes the 'organising pedagogical principle' that embodies the critical spirit, which is crucial for solving design problems (Lucas et al. 2014, p. 14). ...
This chapter will explore critique of teaching, with reference to reflection, critical reflection, reflexive practice, professional inquiry and learning. The aim is to illustrate why active engagement, with critique of teaching, practice and beyond, facilitates professional learning and professional development. In addition to the overview of why developing a mind-set for reflexive practice, critical reflection and critique of teaching is of value in terms of improving practice, the chapter explores models and strategies to support the how and when of these processes. It is through critique that teachers can ensure they are professional, fluid and informed in their responses as, and when, scenarios and contexts demand and be true to their personal ethics.
Critique is effortful, uncomfortable and disruptive. Teachers must want to involve themselves in the hard work of critique and see some results for their efforts; otherwise, why bother?
The chapter comprises three sections:1.
Exploration of conceptual frameworks of critique
2.
The value of critique in developing design and technology (D&T) education practice
3.
Models and methods of critical reflection to scaffold critiquing D&T teaching
... increasing detail is proposed based on 10 years of experience of developing, testing, manufacturing and using empathy tools in an engineering design research centre in a UK university [32,33]. Part of the work was focused on the fidelity of the simulation, the usability of the simulators by the person using them and their use in usability assessment of devices as a substitute for testing with real users. ...
Dignity is a key value within healthcare. Technology is also recognized as being a fundamental part of healthcare delivery, but also a potential cause of dehumanization of the patient. Therefore, understanding how medical devices can be designed to help deliver dignity is important. This paper explores the role of empathy tools as a way of engendering empathy in engineers and designers to enable them to design for dignity. A framework is proposed that makes the link between empathy tools and outcomes of feelings of dignity. It represents a broad systems view that provides a structure for reviewing the evidence for the efficacy of empathy tools and also how dignity can be systematically understood for particular medical devices.
... The industry and designers have an important role to play in preparing products and improving everyday lives by facilitating the use of new technologies and integrating them to a wider range of people, independently of their physical, sensorial and cognitive condition [1,2,3]. ...
The application of inclusive design theory, principles and methods to the design process is a strategy used to enhance accessibility for a wider range of people, including the disabled and the elderly. A growing number of companies, design consultancies and retailers are aware of the demographic changes in the population, and the need for designing for inclusivity. However, for many design teams, time and budget constraints present challenges in the application of the principles of inclusive design when developing new products. This paper examines a variety of design evaluation tools and discusses the approach they provide to apply accessibility principles to new product development. These tools are thus classified into three groups: 1) user-centred techniques, 2) design trials techniques and 3) virtual techniques. This is followed by a cross-comparison of the methods and characteristics of each presented tool to the needs and preferences of the designer teams in the industrial context. The adoption of accessibility evaluation tools may depend on the impact caused by their implementation into the design process and the design activity. The paper assesses some of the challenges imposed by the industry followed by a presentation of future possibilities to cope with them.
... One of the reasons they are not working now is that 'real life is organic, adaptable and diverse' [12]. Engineering and technology training traditionally has a greater reliance on linear quantitative methodologies and commercial approaches, which are not necessarily embedded in empathic modes of research [13]. In addition, the intellectual challenges and resources required to support good design education are not necessarily recognized by the leaders of engineering and technology institutions [14]. ...
A generation which relies on constant communication and digital information has a different view point and language use to older generation for whom modes of communication are less constant. How do we convey intangible qualities such as empathy, creativity and ethics to a young technologically literate generation who are comfortable with its use, but who may lack understanding of life experiences of other users? We examine themes emerging from the findings of a study into the ways older people (60+) use technology. The question guiding our enquiry is as follows: How could learning about social history of technology help bridge the gap between generations and lead to a more empathic design? Can the teaching of empathy and ethical understandings assist this process?
... The consortium, managed by the Centre for Business Innovation, ran during 2010/11 with seven leading companies: the BBC, Bayer Healthcare, Roche, Nestlé, Royal Bank of Scotland, Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances, and Marks & Spencer. The Cambridge Engineering Design Centre (Hosking et al., 2010), with assistance from the University of Cambridge Department of Education, facilitated five workshops to enable the companies to learn together, share experiences and receive practical support in exploiting the potential of inclusive design. To support the Inclusive Design Consortium, a "two-hour" demand assessment was developed, which determines the most difficult aspects of a series of tasks associated with using a product. ...
The UK Design Council describes Inclusive Design as neither a new genre of design, nor a separate specialism, but as a general approach to designing in which designers ensure that their products and services address the needs of the widest possible audience, irrespective of age or ability. Inclusive Design (also known [in Europe] as Design for All and as Universal Design in the USA) is in essence the inverse of earlier approaches to designing for disabled and elderly people as a sub-set of the population, and an integral part of a more recent international trend towards the integration of older and disabled people in the mainstream of society. This paper describes the development of Inclusive Design in the UK, from its early beginnings, through its subsequent adoption as a topic of academic research, leading to its recent emergence embodied as a framework and toolkit for design.
... Other contextual factors such as looking after children may distract attention, and may limit the use of one or both hands. In summary, 'it's normal to be different, want different things, and do things differently' (Lange and Becerra, 2007;Hosking at al., 2010). ...
This paper describes the University of Cambridge, Engineering Design Centre's (EDC) case for inclusive design, based on 10 years of research, promotion and knowledge transfer. In summary, inclusive design applies an understanding of customer diversity to inform decisions throughout the development process, in order to better satisfy the needs of more people. Products that are more inclusive can reach a wider market, improve customer satisfaction and drive business success. The rapidly ageing population increases the importance of this approach. The case presented here has helped to convince BT, Nestlé and others to adopt an inclusive approach.
... This means an easily distributable electronic form is created and it also overcomes the problem of trying to read poor handwriting at a later stage. The use of cards and the spreadsheet record were subsequently refined and trialled with seven large companies from different industry sectors [12]. This approach has now become a key part of the new Inclusive Design Toolkit and allows a systematic approach to engaging with stakeholders including users. ...
Objective. The importance of user involvement in design, development and diffusion of all devices is widely accepted; however, the methods of achieving true user contribution to a design or development process are challenging. The challenges are increased when the target consumers for the device have disabilities that can make traditional methods of gaining user involvement at best difficult, and at worst impossible. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of a number of user involvement techniques employed on projects carried out by the authors.
I cambiamenti sociali in atto e l’invecchiamento della popolazione rendono urgente un ripensamento generale dei prodotti e dei servizi nel settore dell’Home Care, al fine di migliorarne la sicurezza, la semplicità d’uso e la comprensibilità, in altre parole l’usabilità, riducendo le possibilità di errore e di incidenti e allargandone l’uso anche alle fasce di utenza più deboli.
L’Ergonomia per il Design, con i suoi strumenti di valutazione dei bisogni e delle aspettative degli utenti, gioca, in questo ambito, un ruolo fondamentale per un’in- novazione di prodotti e servizi Human Centred per la cura e l’assistenza, capaci di rispondere alle esigenze dei diversi utenti coinvolti (utenti finali, personale di assistenza, familiari).
Parallelamente le innovazioni legate allo sviluppo di tecnologie digitali connettive offrono molte opportunità per il Design nell’ambito dell’Home Care: dai dispositi- vi indossabili, ai tessuti e agli oggetti intelligenti, capaci di controllare e monitora- re in real time lo stato di salute della persona e di interagire attraverso la rete con i servizi di assitenza.
Il volume, oltre a offrire una panoramica delle strategie di innovazione Design oriented, presenta alcuni progetti seguiti dal Laboratorio di Ergonomia & Design, dell’Università di Firenze.
Through a case study of Hong Kong, the paper presents how the Inclusive Design Cube (IDC) can be referenced to develop and evaluate inclusive play space in practice. While social activities take place frequently in play space, the paper advocates that it is essential to include social aspect in public design. Consequently, based on the IDC, the paper develops a model of Socially Inclusive Design Cube (SIDC) to investigate and identify the relationship among social, motion, cognitive and sensory capabilities in the context of play space. Through the development of the SIDC model, the paper raises a question about inclusive design approach. It is hoped that the further development and the application of the SIDC model will contribute to the discipline of inclusive design with social concerns.
Braille allows the access to the written documents, but what about access to images for blind
and partially-sighted people?
This is the purpose of our research project in partnership with the Alain Mikli International group which
assigned us to design and develop tactile representations of pictorial and photographic works of art. Among
them, travelling exhibitions, called Touch and See, were designed in 2001. This happened after a meeting
between blind children and Yann Arthus-Bertrand. This initiative is grounded in a social and legislative context
that aims to improve the autonomy of disabled people. Consequently, in 2001, the « Tourisme et Handicap »
and the « loi du 11 février 2005 » both appeared. This law is addressed to museums in which audio and/or
tactile visits are proposed and becoming very popular. However, the tactile representations are still not
standardized. Research on universal design approaches suggests that our work is positioned upstream from
these processes. Moreover, our design process proposal must integrate tactile perception by using
intermediate representations. Indeed, visually-impaired users have some specific needs because of their
perceptual abilities. Our main research question is based on these remarks. We question the way in which
tactile representations can be designed for these people by suggesting two hypotheses : on the one hand, we
formalize this research field by modelling an experimental approach which allows us to generate knowledge
and, on the other hand, we describe two product concepts that allow designers to achieve better knowledge
of visually-impaired users. These concepts were tested and validated by four experiments. We have modeled
an experimental design approach in three steps : transferring of knowledge, designing of « good tactile
readability and understanding » models, and forward planning of two iterative cycles of design/assessment.
We have elaborated two concepts : the first, concerns the real size of a painting represented in egocentered
manner and the second concept suggests adding tactile contrasts which are among the elements
represented in relief. This approach and the concepts constitute the contributions of this thesis which have
been implemented during the design of an audio-tactile installation at the « musée du quai Branly » in Paris.
There is strong evidence of the importance of good interaction design in the creation of intuitive-use products. However, there is also a strong indication, both in the literature and in the study with designers documented in this paper, that despite this evidence designers get little support in adequately representing, analysing and comparing design and user information. Since designers require a practical and relatively easy-to-use support tool that would enable them to better understand cognitive processes of users and evaluate the accessibility and usability of different product features, this paper proposes the Goals-Actions-Beliefs-Objects (GABO) modelling approach that can form the basis of such a tool for designers. The four distinct stages of the GABO approach are designed to assess and compare designers and users’ understanding and usage of everyday products. The evaluation results of the GABO approach with eight product designers have indicated that designers find it useful and effective in identifying the key similarities and differences in the understanding of designers and users.
This paper presents the academic experience in the application of the fundamentals of universal design in the Industrial Design Program at the National University of Colombia and the Architecture and Industrial Design Programs at the Javeriana University. On the one hand, it introduces the strategies applied during the semester workshops. On the other hand, it shows some examples of projects developed by the students. The document finishes outlining some of the biggest challenges that can be drawn as a result of the experience. It emphasizes the need of changing the concept and perception of disability among the students, the systemic and interdisciplinary approach during the development of the design project and the promotion of networking with related institutions. Understanding that " it is normal to be different " and that " it is abnormal to be indifferent " synthesize the fundamental competences expected of a student that goes through these workshops.
This paper summarises the 'what', 'why' and 'how' of inclusive design, and presents key contributions of the 2006-2010 i~design research consortium, the third successive research consortium funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council as part of the Extending Quality of Life initiative. Throughout 10 years of i~design research, the overarching goals have been to provide industrial decision makers with mechanisms for understanding the significance of age-and capability-related factors, and to provide the design community with the techniques and guidance required to deliver better products and services for people of all ages and abilities. In this latest period of research, the specific emphasis has been on quantifying design exclusion and enabling designers to work with users.
The world population is aging and the number of people who are experiencing a loss of functional capability is also on the increase. There is a need to design 'inclusive' products to accommodate this wider range of capabilities and to develop metrics to assess the success of such products. Successful inclusive design requires a balance between the demands a product makes of its users and the users' capabilities, along with a number of design metrics and data to enable their evaluation. If the balance is not correct, then there is the potential for design exclusion.
In this paper, we describe why designers need to look beyond the twin aims of designing for the 'typical' user and designing "prostheses". Making accessible interfaces for older people is a unique but many-faceted challenge. Effective applications and interface design needs to address the dynamic diversity of the human species. We introduce a new design paradigm, Design for Dynamic Diversity, and suggest a methodology to assist its achievement, User Sensitive Inclusive Design.To support our argument for a new form of design we report experimentation, which indicates that older people have significantly different and dynamically changing needs. We also put forward initial solutions for Designing for Dynamic Diversity, where memory, vision and confidence provide the parameters for discussion, and illustrate the importance of User Sensitive Inclusive Design in establishing a framework for the operation of Design for Dynamic Diversity.
Much has been written on creating personas â both what they are good for, and how to create them. A common problem with personas is that they are not based on firsthand customer data, and if they are, the data set is not of a sample size that can be considered statistically significant. In this paper, we describe a new method for creating and validating personas, based on the statistical analysis of data, which is fast and cost effective.
Over the past 5 years BT has undergone a major transformation from a company with a special section devoted to 'older and disabled consumers' to a company with an inclusive design strategy. The mainstreaming of these issues responds to a demand for better, more user-friendly communications products and growing awareness of the importance of previously marginalised consumer groups. It also took place alongside the development and publication of BS7000-6, a guide to inclusive design management. Based on several product design case studies, the company reflect on how and why this transformation was seen as necessary for its future success, and how the transformation was achieved.
Inclusive design aims to enable more people to use mainstream products, services and environments, especially those with minor
ability loss. In this context, a mainstream product refers to one that is readily available “off-the-shelf” in competitive
markets, produced according to economies of scale. However, there will often be an inevitable limit to the level of ability
loss that can be accommodated by such designs, whilst keeping the production volume and styling suitable for mass-market sales
at an appropriate price point. Setting appropriate targets for an inclusive design therefore requires understanding the trade-offs
between the number of people who are unable to perform tasks that relate to different levels of ability loss, within all the
types of ability that are required to interact with the product. Understanding these trade-offs requires a single data source
that covers all of these types of ability loss, yet the 1996/97 Disability follow-up survey (DFS) (Grundy et al., 1999) remains the most recent UK dataset that covers all such aspects of ability loss (Johnson et al., 2009).
The social context of Sweden provides a good environment for research and development of products and technical aids for the disabled and elderly. However, the model used by Swedish ergonomists and designers in Ergonomi Design Gruppen emphasizes how the application of experience gained from designing such aids can lead to better products for everyone. Three main examples are given to demonstrate how ergonomics studies and prototype/model evaluation by the target users have led to new designs for familiar objects: eating implements, walking sticks and coffee pots. Addressing particular aspects of design for people with specific difficulties, and problems associated with the use of everyday items, has led to designs which are acceptable to a broader range of users.
Quantitative market research and qualitative user-centered design research have long had an uneasy and complex relationship. A trend toward increasingly complex statistical segmentations and associated personas will once again increase the urgency of addressing paradigm differences to allow the two disciplines to collaborate effectively. We present an instructive case in which qualitative field research helped contribute to abandoning a "state of the art" quantitative user segmentation that was used in an attempt to unify both marketing and user experience planning around a shared model of users. This case exposes risks in quantitative segmentation research, common fallacies in the evolving practice of segmentation and use of personas, and the dangers of excessive deference to quantitative research generally.
The 'grey pound' set to hit £100bn mark‚ says Age Concern and Help the Aged
- U K Age
Age UK, 2010. The 'grey pound' set to hit £100bn mark‚ says Age Concern and Help the Aged.
Press Release 20 January 2010
BS 7000, Design management systems-Part 6: Managing inclusive design-Guide
- British Standards Institute
British Standards Institute, 2005. BS 7000, Design management systems-Part 6: Managing
inclusive design-Guide. British Standards Institution, London.
Key Note address at Microsoft Professional Developers Conference
- C Capossella
Capossella, C., 2005. Key Note address at Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2005
(13 September 2005, Part of Bill Gates' keynote address)
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/speeches/2005/09-13PDC05.aspx
Estimate of the annual spending power of adults in Britain covered by the disability discrimination act (1995) Press Release 3rd
- A Cooper
- R Reimann
- D Cronin
Cooper, A., Reimann, R., Cronin, D., 2007. About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design.
Wiley Publishing, Inc. Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Department of Work & Pensions, 2004. Estimate of the annual spending power of adults in Britain
covered by the disability discrimination act (1995) Press Release 3rd December 2004.
Information Management and Archives Team, DWP Library.
Design & Gender: Thinking about Sex
- E Eden
- A Enga
- Y Lin
- G Reimann
Eden, E., Enga, A., Lin, Y., Reimann, G. 2007. Design & Gender: Thinking about Sex. Include
2007 Conference Proceedings, ISBN 1-905000-34-0
Engineering Design Centre
- Engineering Design
- Centre
Engineering Design Centre, 2010. Engineering Design Centre, Department of
Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK. http://www-edc.eng.cam.ac.uk
(accessed July 2010).
Want to Reach a Trillion-Dollar Market? Don't Ignore People With Disabilities
- D C Hannah
Hannah, D.C., 2008, Want to Reach a Trillion-Dollar Market? Don't Ignore People With
Disabilities, DivsersityInc Website.
The Story of the Ribbon. Presentation at MIX08
- J Harris
Harris, J. 2008. The Story of the Ribbon. Presentation at MIX08, 5-7, March 2008
Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization, World Wide Web Consortium (MIT, ERCIM, Keio)
- S L Henry
- A M J Arch
Henry, S.L., Arch, A.M.J., (Eds) 2009. Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your
Organization, World Wide Web Consortium (MIT, ERCIM, Keio), June 2009.
http://www.w3.org/WAI/bcase/
50+ Fact and Fiction, Immersion Active, 44 North Market Street, 3rd Floor
Immersion, 2010. 50+ Fact and Fiction, Immersion Active, 44 North Market Street, 3rd Floor,
Frederick, MD 21701 http://www.immersionactive.com/resources/50-plus-facts-and-fiction/
Google, 2010. www.google.com/corporate/ux.html (accessed July 2010)
The Wide Range of Abilities and its Impact on Computer Technology. Microsoft Corporation, USA
- Microsoft
Microsoft, 2003. The Wide Range of Abilities and its Impact on Computer Technology. Microsoft
Corporation, USA, research conducted by Forrester Research, Inc. www.microsoft.com
Data-driven persona development CHI '08 Employing People with Disabilities is Good for Business
- J Mcginn
- N Kotamraju
McGinn, J. and Kotamraju, N. 2008. Data-driven persona development. In Proceeding of the
Twenty-Sixth Annual SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Florence,
Italy, April 05-10, 2008). CHI '08. ACM, New York
National Organisation on Disability, 2010. Employing People with Disabilities is Good for
Business, National Organisation on Disability, 5 East 86th Street, New York, NY 10028,
http://nod.org/for_business_leaders/
America's Health and Wellbeing Report
- Philips Index
Philips Index, 2010. America's Health and Wellbeing Report. www.philips-thecenter.org
(accessed July 2010)
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
United Nations, 2006. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. PDF available at
www.un.org (accessed July 2010)
Research report 94: Disability in Great Britain
- E Grundy
- D Ahlburg
- M Ali
- E Breeze
- A Sloggett
Grundy E, Ahlburg D, Ali M, Breeze E, and Sloggett A (1999) Research report 94: Disability in
Great Britain. Corporate Document Services, London, UK.
Department of Social Security Social Research Branch, Disability Followup to the 1996/97 Family Resources Survey
- Uk Data Archive
UK Data Archive, 2000. Department of Social Security Social Research Branch, Disability Followup to the 1996/97 Family Resources Survey [computer file].
UK Data Archive [distributor]. SN: 4090. The complete set of questions is available at www.dataarchive.ac.uk/doc/4090\mrdoc\pdf\4090userguide
- Essex Colchester
Colchester, Essex: UK Data Archive
[distributor]. SN: 4090. The complete set of questions is available at www.dataarchive.ac.uk/doc/4090\mrdoc\pdf\4090userguide.pdf (accessed February 2010).