Inclusive Design in Practice: Working with Students and Educators

Rama Gheerawo, The Helen Hamlyn Research Centre, Royal College of Art, UK

Cherie Lebbon, London South Bank University, UK

Sean Donahue, North Carolina State University, USA

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Scope and Rationale

This paper looks at how take-up of inclusive design practice can be encouraged amongst design students and educators. The paper also gives case studies and examples of how this can be implemented, citing work with postgraduate design students at the Royal College of Art (RCA), undergraduate students at North Carolina State University (NCSU), a student competition run by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), and an online inclusive design resource hosted by the Design Council and the RSA.

The Royal College of Art

A crucial part of the practical application of inclusive design lies in introducing inclusive design principles into mainstream design education so that they can diffuse outwards into industry - over 90% of RCA students enter professional practice upon graduation, often rising to very senior positions. At the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre (HHRC), based at the RCA, the key mechanism for addressing these issues is an annual award scheme for graduating students.

Each successful applicant is given a small research bursary, access to user groups, specialist inclusive design knowledge in form of a handbook prepared as a 'pocket' guide to inclusive design, on-line access to a library of over 1200 videos, articles, periodicals and information packs and to workshops in user-centred design. Student projects run for the whole final year, giving a lengthy period during which inclusive design can be explored and practiced without detracting from their studio work.

The awards in 2004 addressed six important areas of social change, each offering real possibilities for design enquiry and innovation.

• Age: understanding the needs and aspirations of older people.
• Work: balancing new ways of working with personal needs and demands.
• Ability: challenging the design preconceptions of the lifestyle, wants and needs of young people with disabilities.
• Mobility: delivering enhanced mobility for all in the built environment.
• Communication: highlighting invisible social groups and hidden social issues using communication in any media.
• Health: products, packaging and communication with direct health benefits, either medical of personal.

The students are directed to work in two ways. The first is to empathise with users. The second is to address the powerful social changes that surround them and to think about their 'future selves'. The students are attracted by the chance to creatively problem-solve for a 'real life' situation based on user research rather than speculative design.

Past winners have gone on to set up their own companies designing and selling products developed for their winning entry. Recent winners have set up design consultancies marketing themselves as inclusive designers.

Between 2000 and 2004, 357 students have applied with 277 being shortlisted. Nearly £20,000 has been given out in research bursaries to each shortlisted project and £40,000 in prize money from industry and voluntary sector sponsors.

Royal College of Art Case Studies

Over the last five years, the projects have focused on very specific problems experienced by people, but have done so in ways that were both practical and life enhancing. These case studies demonstrate the design innovation and commercial potential of student work that was developed with groups of 'critical' users, who could challenge the design briefs and stretch the creative envelope.

Martin Bloomfield's 'pull the plug' (RCA Industrial Design Engineering 1999 - Figure 1 below) is a low-cost plastic strip which makes a UK power plug easy to remove from wall sockets. It loops around the plug and fits snugly over two of the three pins. The coloured strip also allows for easy identification of plugs when a number of appliances are in use. Bloomfield worked with focus groups of older people with limited dexterity to develop the usability of his design. This group of 'critical' users was then expanded to include younger people and was site-tested at offices and in the domestic environment.

Figure 1: 'Pull the Plug' finished prototype.
[Figure 1 Description]

Hugo Glover's 'pill pusher' (RCA Design Products 2002 - Figure 2 below) greatly aids the accessing of pills in the blister pack, which are becoming the industry standard packaging format. For users with extreme physical conditions caused by arthritis or sciatica, or those with reduced dexterity and eyesight this can be a significant challenge and impact negatively on medical compliance, which is a very serious issue in the UK. The required tablet is positioned over a small, circular depression that 'catches' the tablet as it is pressed through with a finger or thumb from the blister pack. The tablet can be then easily tipped into the hand or directly into the mouth.

As the product needed to be developed with such a specific type of user, Glover focussed on one individual who fulfilled the above criteria and who was also a regular pill taker. He worked closely with this person and immersed himself in her daily regime. Prototypes were tested over weeks and he spent mornings and afternoons filming both vocal feedback and contextual use of his prototypes. He then supplemented this user research with interviews and product testing with a wider selection of users. The combined methodology allowed him to iteratively work up his ideas into a product that met real user need and is at present, being further developed to market.

Figure 2: Working with a user on the 'Pill Pusher' project.
[Figure 2 Description]

Ben Wilson's 'hand driven trike' (RCA Design Products 2001 - Figure 3 below) was designed for an active eight-year old with lower body paralysis and a desire for a machine styled like the mountain bikes of his able-bodied friends. The overall concept, however, is for riders of all ages and abilities and can be easily customised for either hand propulsion or pedal power. Ready-made high tech components and 'street cred' styling ensure the trike's place in mainstream bike design. Wilson's main user drove the development and design of the bike from brief-writing stage through to final design. Although working with just one main user, Wilson went deep into his lifestyle, combining informal interviews with more immersive techniques to empathise with his needs and aspirations over a two-year period. This resulted in key insights that resulted in a unique, flexible frame geometry in the saddle area that allows the rider to corner and steer the vehicle by moving his or her upper body from side to side. Working with a user who had a 'critical' set of needs pushed the design boundaries, driving the student to innovate. The success of the design can be measured by the fact that the user refused to return the working prototype and his weight is now significantly reduced with associated fitness benefits.

Figure 3: Eight year old user on the prototype trike.
[Figure 3 Description]

Disability is something that can affect us all, at any time in our life, and often does so for limited periods of time. William Welch's adaptable cutlery (RCA Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork & Jewellery 2001 - Figure 4 below) is designed for people with poor grip or restricted hand movement. The oversized handle is filled with a smart material that moulds itself to the individual user's hands while the head bends sideways to optimise hand-to-mouth coordination. A looped strap fits over the hand and slots into the suction pad at the base of the handle. The cutlery's mainstream design aesthetic, however, makes it an attractive rather than stigmatising product, and the designer has posted do-it-yourself instructions on his website for making a similar but temporary product from readily available materials for those whose need for the cutlery is not permanent. Welch worked with groups of older people, and people with arthritis and strokes to iteratively develop the design. The mainstream aesthetic and looped strap was a direct result from user consultation, and focus groups helped to confirm the designs developed with his main users. As well as creating an innovative product through addressing user need, Welch discovered that his work carried enough demand to be commercially developed. He has since set up a company to produce, develop and market the cutlery.

Figure 4: Cutlery with strap for users with limited dexterity.
[Figure 4 Description]

Lisa-Dionne Morris, (Design Products 2000 - Figure 5 below) developed a range of heat retaining earthenware and plastic tableware primarily aimed at stroke victims of all ages. The work was deliberately 'landscaped' to assist those who have suffered perceptive and cognitive impairment to navigate around a table setting, enabling them to eat and drink independently. The tableware was accompanied by a range of toughened glass beakers that have a distinctly shaped surface for security and comfort when held. Morris worked in a stroke recovery ward for some time before embarking on her design development, to gain practical experience and empathy with the needs of the patients. Importantly, she developed a mainstream aesthetic for the range and her designs are now being marketed through a company she set up. Many are not just sold to people with disabilities, but are bought as wedding gifts or as a statement of style (further information at www.landscapedtableware.com).

Figure 5: Beaker, soup bowl and plate developed for stroke victims.
[Figure 5 Description]

North Carolina State University

While working as the Designer in Residence at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in 2003, Sean Donahue worked on methods to rethink some elements of design studio education. The foundation of his work was to establish methods for engaging inclusive design as a vehicle for revaluating the use, role, and context of mainstream design. The approach aimed to:

• avoid segmenting inclusive design practices to secondary courses but to incorporate them into traditional classroom contexts;
• allow the notions of inclusive design to provide valuable insight into issues of context and appropriateness for application in mainstream communication design;
• integrate methods of investigation that move the designer outside of the studio in order to expand their understanding of audience, user and appropriateness.

These issues were of particular value because they allowed students to take these methods of inclusive investigation into any mode of practice they embark on upon graduation. The aim was to infuse all design thinking and not simply relegate "inclusivity" to a particular type of specialised design practice.

North Carolina State University Case Study

In design education, the projects that are assigned to students, and the resulting artefacts that are created establish a student's preconception of what design is, how it is used and who it is applicable to. This is particularly true in undergraduate education. It can also be said that these factors define and shape what a student understands their future professional practice to entail.

The foundation project for this methodology was based around rethinking the designer's approach to a logo. Instead of a brief requiring the redesign of a logo for company X, the project was positioned in a way that allowed students to integrate inclusive design methods of investigation in order to develop a communication system that could communicate with or 'speak to' a potentially broader user group (compare Figure 6 with Figures 7 and 8 below).

Figure 6: Three logos developed as part of a traditional studio project.
[Figure 6 Description]

The new project was entitled 'designing communication systems that build brand recognition', thus moving the design issue away from the word "logo," towards communication and the specific needs of user groups. This redefinition of the design issue provided room for a dialogue between students and a broader spectrum of users who are not normally considered in mainstream communication design. In developing the brand for the mobile phone market, students created different 'personas' from firsthand user research and observation, providing greater opportunities for brand recognition to include a wider audience (Figure 7 below).

Figure 7: Different user profiles developed for the logo project.
[Figure 7 Description]

The insights gained by the students into a wider range of user needs and lifestyle aspirations could be applied to any mainstream client or communication. Solutions used redundant cueing to address multiple types of communication needs. For instance, creating a brand 'sound identity' to be used with an accompanying visual or by itself, began to address issues surrounding low and no vision communities. Another approach utilised tactile qualities within the visual identities to act as both a design signature and a unique identity that was equally accessible to both sighted and non-sighted users (Figure 8 below).

Figure 8: Mobile phone with a tactile logo.
[Figure 8 Description]

Another approach resulted in logos that varied in scale in order to address a range of visual capabilities. Adding variations in design characteristics to logos of different sizes increased readability while creating visual interest for a fully sighted community. Having not just size changes, but design variations in those sizes also increased visual interest. The result of these explorations was engaging forms of communication that allowed both users with vision, and those with no vision, access to traditional communication forms such as logos and other (non text based) primarily visual devices.

The Design Council and the Royal Society of Arts

Two key organisations in the UK are working in collaboration with the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre to encourage design educators and design students to embrace inclusive approaches to designing initially with a UK focus but everybody worldwide via internet-based resources.

The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) has recently restructured its annual Student Design Awards programme and launched the 'Inclusive Worlds' Design Direction Awards in September 2003. The briefs require participants to engage with inclusivity as a design criteria and to carry out user based research as a core activity. The competition encourages designers from all specialisations to understand the needs and aspirations of a variety of users, including older and disabled people, children and those marginalised by rapidly changing technologies.

To further support this the RSA has taken up the development of a web-based inclusive design tool that was recently been launched as the RSA Inclusive Design Resource and can be accessed through their website at www.thersa.org/projects/inclusive_design.asp.

The Design Council has been developing online inclusive design resources aimed at stimulating the call for inclusive design from business and providing tools for the teaching of inclusive design. These resources offer support for design lecturers to help them create inclusive design projects with their students. The work builds on case studies of projects on the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre's Research Associate Programme, and develops them into outlines for project briefs, including hints and tips on inclusive design practice - www.designcouncil.info/inclusivedesignresource/.

Current Status and Expectations

Competitions, web-based resources and targeted studio projects are a good way of introducing inclusive design principles and practice into mainstream design education as they build on the natural competitiveness generally found in design colleges. The new focus of the RSA competition and the open access to the Design Council resource will ensure exposure of inclusive design at national and international levels. The undergraduate work at NCSU demonstrates the way in which inclusive design principles can enhance traditional studio teaching. Where internet access is limited, paper-based solutions such as handbooks and handouts have been found to be effective.

Text Descrptions of Figures

1. 'Pull the Plug' finished prototype
   The picture shows a side view of Martin Bloomfield's 'Pull the Plug' project. A thin strip of flexible, orange plastic is looped over a standard UK three-pin electric plug forming a handle. The strip can fit any existing plug and is shown here with a user about to pull the plug out of its socket.
   [Return to Figure 1]



2. Working with a user on the 'Pill Pusher' project
   The picture shows Hugo Glover, the designer of the 'Pill Pusher' talking to an older woman who is evaluating some of his prototypes, by trying to open different pill packing with them. Both people are seated at a table on which are placed two development models and some medical tablets in 'blister-packs'. The required tablet is positioned over a small, circular depression in the 'Pill Pusher' that 'catches' the tablet as it is pressed through with a finger or thumb from the blister pack.
   [Return to Figure 2]



3. Eight year old user on the prototype trike
   A videocap of an eight year old boy with lower body paralysis sitting on Ben Wilson's prototype trike. The boy is in an exuberant pose with both hands in the air. Although designed specifically for the boy to pedal with his hands and steer through the saddle by moving is body weight from side-to-side, the overall concept is for riders of all abilities and can be easily customised for either hand propulsion or pedal power. Ready-made high tech components and 'street cred' styling ensure the trike's place in mainstream bike design.
   [Return to Figure 3]



4. Cutlery with strap for users with limited dexterity
   The photo shows an older man holding a fork secured to his hand with a looped strap that fits over the hand and slots into the suction pad at the base of the handle. The cutlery, designed by William Welch, includes the needs of people with poor grip or restricted hand movement. The oversized handle is filled with a smart material that moulds itself to the individual user's hands while the head bends sideways to optimise hand-to-mouth coordination.
   [Return to Figure 4]



5. Beaker, soup bowl and plate developed for stroke victims
   The photo shows Lisa-Dionne Morris' range of tableware laid out in a table setting. The set comprises of a plate that is sculpted to aid one-handed eating, a soup bowl that follows the same principle and a blue glass beaker with a large 'dent' in the side to aid grip. The range was developed to give people recovering from a stroke, more independence and a mainstream, rather than stigmatising, aesthetic to their tableware.
   [Return to Figure 5]



6. Three logos developed as part of a traditional studio project
   The graphic shows three logos that are typically representative of an undergraduate student project. The images show a complex logo made up of black and green circles and lines on a green background with a 'halo' effect in the centre of the background.
   [Return to Figure 6]



7. Different user profiles developed for the logo project
   A scenario graphic comprising of a photograph of people in a plaza with text boxes describing each person overlaid onto the image. Everyone is using their mobile phones, though some people are walking, some sitting and some standing. The image maps the user research that Sean Donahue conducted with his students in developing the logo brand for the mobile phone market. The students created the different 'personas' shown in the graphic through firsthand user research and observation.
   [Return to Figure 7]



8. Mobile phone with a tactile logo
   The photo shows a mobile phone with a tactile logo developed for both sighted and visually impaired users. The phone is a clam-shell type and is photographed on a white background. The logo is made up of a red motif and black lettering spelling the word 'lomo'. The motif comprises of lines made up of differently sized dots arranged in order on increasing size.
   [Return to Figure 8]

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