Inclusive Design in Practice: Developing a New British Standard

Roger Coleman, The Helen Hamlyn Research Centre, Royal College of Art, UK

John Clarkson, Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge, UK

Simeon Keates, IBM TJ Watson Research Center, New York, USA

Scope and Rationale

The drafting of a British Standard on inclusive design management, BS 7000-6, is a step forward in identifying the 'real world' benefits for design and business of adopting a more inclusive approach to product and service development. It offers guidance and process frameworks for decision makers, design managers and design and new product development teams. The ultimate goal is to ensure that, in so far as possible, the needs of the whole population are met through mainstream markets.

Pyramid representing capability data.
Figure 1: the capability pyramid (after Benktzon) 1

[Figure 1 Description]


This paper gives an overview of the standard, its development and potential impact. It will be of interest to all those involved in managing, commissioning and executing design projects, and also to design educators.


Bar graph showing percentages of UK population at risk of design exclusion.
Figure 2: Percentage of UK population at risk of design exclusion (after Gill) 2

[Figure 2 Description]


Overview

Significant sectors of the population are at risk of design exclusion, because conventional approaches to design and product and service development do not consider their needs and aspirations. Decision makers in industry have been slow to see the importance and value to their companies of inclusive design, and of its potential to expand market reach. They will have to be convinced of the business advantage before committing financial and personnel resources to that end. The new BS sees design managers as potential champions of inclusive design in industry and business, and sets out to arm them with a cogent business case for the adoption of inclusive design, and with process models for its implementation at both corporate and project level. These have been encapsulated in simple diagrams, which can be used by both large and small organisations. Further support is being provided via the Internet, both for design managers, and for design groups and individuals, who also have the potential to act as inclusive design champions.

Collaborators

The Helen Hamlyn Research Centre and the University of Cambridge played a key role in a committee convened by BSI, with a further 25 other organizations contributing, including the UK Design Council, Institute of Mechanical Engineers and Ministry of Defence. User organizations also contributed, including, for example, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, the Centre for Policy on Ageing and the Association of Greater London Older Women, along with also industry and professional bodies.

British Standards

The British Standards Institution (BSI) is one of the world's leading providers of standards covering every aspect of the modern economy from protection of intellectual property to technical specifications for protective equipment. BSI is based in London, UK, and has extensive relationships with national and international standards bodies throughout the world.

The use of standards is becoming a prerequisite to worldwide trade. A large percentage of export is influenced by national and international standards, and both major companies and SMEs can benefit from the conformity and the level playing field that standards establish. Management standards, in particular, can be of benefit to all organizations at a variety of levels.

Inclusive Design Guidance

BS 7000-6 gives guidance on the inclusive management of design at both organizational and project levels. It seeks to link inclusive design thinking with the core concerns of organizations in other established business disciplines.

An inclusive business and design strategy delivers a better understanding of consumer needs and aspirations, and a better alignment of an organization's consumer offer with them. It also enables a closer association between staff, investors, corporate values and mission, and an enhanced ability to identify and exploit opportunities for innovation. The business case is built around five key drivers and opportunities:

  1. To adapt to market changes, such as those due to population ageing, new legislation, technological change and the adoption of inclusive design by competitors - to boost turnover, market share and profitability.
  2. To understand changing consumer expectations and lifestyles - to expand the consumer base, extend product lifecycles, and develop brand loyalty.
  3. To maintain workforce loyalty, particularly in the context of a longer working life for employees, an ageing population and changing expectations with regard to retirement - to improve efficiency, enhance motivation and ensure that essential skills are retained within the company.
  4. To provide user-centred design, through the implementation of ergonomics and human factors principles (and so guard against dissatisfaction due to lack of usability and accessibility) - to minimize the cost of servicing and returns, encourage repeat purchases and build competitive advantage.
  5. To build and sustain corporate reputation in an era of social and technological change through innovation and new product development, user-friendly and quality design.

Structure

The standard follows the convention of including normative references, terms and definitions, but is essentially process-based, with the two key sections - on managing inclusive design at the organizational level, and at the project level - introducing process diagrams that are 'unpacked' in detail in each section. The intention is to provide managers and practitioners with a detailed process that is not prescriptive and allows scope for tailoring to individual organisations. One key lesson learnt from the i~design research programme, in which the authors played central roles, was that each company or organisation is different in the ways that it will take up inclusive design and the motivating factors that drive the process. The outcomes of that research are reported in a substantial book, which serves as a key reference source for the standard. 3

Guidance at the organisational level is centred on seeing through a four-step process of cultural change that will make the company as a whole responsive to user needs and motivate it to deliver the constant improvement in products and services that is required if adoption is to be more than cosmetic. For that reason the process culminates in a review stage at which lessons are learnt and goals set for a further iteration. Buy-in is seen as permanent, rather than temporary and consequently cultural change is an essential and central feature. This provides the context for practical action in terms of audits of current products and practices, the identification of potential for improvement, the initiation of conversations and relationships with end users of all abilities, and the move to innovation and brand enhancement through inclusive design and communications.

Guidance at the project level is centred on a map of eleven stages grouped into five principal phases, from pre-project to post project, or identification of opportunity to withdrawal from market. Iterative review is at the heart of this process, and stage gateways build in quality control elements related directly to inclusivity, against which progress is measured before moving to the next stage. The intention is not to modify the conventional product development process (as set out in other British Standards in the 7000 series), but rather to augment it by adding a level of attention to user issues, capabilities and preferences, and ensuring that specific criteria related to these are met. A further intention is to introduce a requirement for documentation of decision-making relating to inclusivity. In other words, if particular groups of users are excluded by features of the product or service that decision should be made and recorded with due weight being given to it and to the potential consequences. For example, we do not design cars to include the needs of children drivers as they are excluded by law.

Designers and manufacturers have a range of strategies or design approaches, whereby usability can be maximised through customisation (and ultimately mass customisation), add-ons, adaptive and adjustable interfaces, and more. This is reflected in the standard, and two of the authors of this paper have paid particular attention to this issue, developing tools for quantifying design exclusion, which provide a rational and transparent basis for decision-making in this regard. 4

Detailed guidance is given throughout, but the emphasis is on informed decision-making and the process is not prescriptive, but flexible enough to be adopted by a wide range of oganisations, from large conglomerates to SMEs.

Graphic representation of various design approaches.

Figure 3: design approaches 5

[Figure 3 Description]

Annexes

The standard concludes with three annexes. The first sets out 'the challenge of leading inclusivity in business', and provides supporting arguments fleshing out the five key drivers identified in the opening pages of the document. The second provides an overview of selected tools, techniques and models for managing and implementing inclusive design, grouped according to clusters of activity they support and cross referenced to the 11 design development stages identified in the main text. The intention here is not to give a complete account, but to introduce designers and design managers to the concept and practice of user-consultation, research and feedback having a role at every stage of the process. Designers and managers are encouraged to inform themselves of other methods and identify techniques and approaches appropriate to their own market sectors and scale of operations.

The final annex sets out a brief bibliography and list of useful websites. It also directs the reader to key Internet resources established to support the standard, where exhaustive bibliographies and other useful information and case studies can be found.

Outcomes in Summary

Though the inclusive approach ultimately encompasses the whole of business and management, specific guidance and other supportive material has been developed for:

  • Top executives of all organizations offering products and services. The standard should help them to lead the introduction of an inclusive approach and evolve an appropriate corporate culture that nurtures inclusive success;
  • Middle executives who set up and administer product and service development projects. The standard should help them formulate better-focused and more enlightened briefs. It should also assist in motivating project teams as well as the evaluation of solutions generated;
  • Junior executives and specialists who are assigned to project teams that generate new products and services. The standard should help them adopt more appropriate perspectives and approaches to inclusive design.

Current Status and Expectations

Various parts of the BS 7000 series of British Standards are relevant to all types of products and services, and to the business processes involved in their creation, fabrication, delivery and sustenance in the market, right through to final disposal, including the management of obsolescence. Part six focuses on inclusive design, and a draft has been circulated for comments before final editing and publication towards the end of 2004. It is planned to link the standard to several key websites hosting resources and additional information, guidance and case studies. This is seen as particularly important as it will allow for continual updating of supporting material without the need to re-write the basics document. It will also make it possible to keep the standard itself relatively short, which will reduce the cost.

References

  1. The capability pyramid, Benktzon M (1993) Designing for Our Future Selves: the Swedish Experience. Applied Ergonomics, 24, 1, Butterworth-Heinemann, London: 19-27
  2. Design exclusion, based on figures by Gill, J, www.tiresias.org/guidelines/inclusive
  3. Clarkson J, Coleman R, Keates S, Lebbon C, (2003) Inclusive Design: design for the whole population, Springer-Verlag, London.
  4. Keates S, Clarkson J, (2003) Countering Design Exclusion: an introduction to inclusive design, Springer-Verlag, London.
  5. Design approaches: a model for inclusive design developed by the i~design research team. Clarkson J, Coleman R, Johnston M, Keates S & Lebbon C (2000) http://rehab-www.eng.cam.ac.uk/papers/lsk12/edc2000/

Text Descriptions of Figures

  1. A diagram of the capability pyramid.
    The diagram represents the whole population as a pyramid divided horizontally into three layers: the bottom layer representing the fully capable population, the second layer representing those with reduced capabilities, and the top layer the disabled population. Understanding and including the needs of groups at the top of the pyramid results in better design for all.
    [Return to Figure 1]


  2. A bar chart of groups at risk of design exclusion.
    Based on UK population data, the bars indicate the percentage of the total population represented by each potentially excluded group. In descending order of magnitude these are: children under 16 (c.20%), older people over 65 (c. 15%), people with disabilities (c.10%), left handed (c. 9%), red/green colour blind (c. 7.5%), primary language not English (c. 5%)
    [Return to Figure 2]


  3. A diagram of the inclusive design cube.
    The inclusive design cube models the whole population in three dimensions, with regard to capability. The axes represent: left to right, increasing sensory capability; from back to front, increasing cognitive capability; and from top to bottom, increasing motion capability. The bottom nearest corner of the cube represents the highest level of capabilities, with top rear corner representing the lowest level. The capability levels of a significant proportion of the whole population, represented by a smaller cube occupying the lower front portion of the bigger cube, can be addressed through 'user aware' design. Wrapped around the rear three sides of this cube is a second sector of the population, whose capability levels, while significantly lower, can be met by 'customisable' or 'modular' design approaches, incorporating, for example, adaptable interfaces. Wrapped around this volume in a similar way, is a further sector of the population, whose capability levels require special purpose designs, and beyond that group, and completing the full cube, is a thin layer representing those whose cognitive, motion or sensory needs require carer assistance (including those who prefer carer assistance) and for whom appropriate design solutions are required. An essential feature of the inclusive approach is, through technological and design innovation, to continuously strive to expand the number of people whose needs are met through user aware and customisable or modular designs, and thus reduce the number who need special solutions.
    [Return to Figure 3]

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