Inclusive Design
Inclusive/universal design is something that is very important in my project. My case study concerns older users which can have a range of abilities that need to be considered for all parts of the project but particularly when coming up with ideas and developing concepts. Thinking/being aware of inclusive design principles when designing opens it up to people with a wider range of abilities and reflects the real world of people. Every design decision can change the barrier to participation and we need to remember and reflect on this when designing and testing concepts. It is about being aware of accessibility standards as a baseline for true inclusivity. These standards give actionable steps to make something inclusive for maybe not all people but to as many as possible.
“Insight is in the adaptation”
Talking to a range of users and discovering their ways of living, hacks and workarounds can be really insightful into what doesn’t work about current products but also what these users need to make a product work for them. More than this, understanding the emotional content is even more important. A person may be able to use a product but it may frustrate them. The reasons and motivations behind frustrations/satisfaction/joys of a product are the most insightful as it gives a deeper insight into the world of that person. It brings you beneath the surface to a deeper level of ‘know, dream, feel’ as described by Liz Sanders, giving you a glimpse into deep values and motivations.
“Inclusive design work across a spectrum of related abilities, connecting different people in similar circumstances” — Microsoft inclusive manual.
In the book “Inclusive Design: Design for the whole population”, they have done extensive research into different levels of ability. Concerning older users the book describes how these people “have a strong drive to remain independent and contribute to the community but are hampered by inappropriate design.” This relates back to some of the issues that have come up in my research such as aids and products to make home environments more inclusive for users that may have minor impairments that come with ages such as eyesight, hearing, dexterity, mobility and memory. One way of categorizing and designing for these is using personas. This book has done a form of that, as seen below, that lists out what users need from on environment. I thought this was a good way of ensuring these issues are considered in design concepts and also give some metrics to measure concepts by. The example below relates to physical needs in the home but a similar method could be used for other issues such as sight or cognition.
Accessibility standards are often focused on permanent disabilities and forget about situational or temporary ones. A good example is that of a new parent who is often carrying their baby and therefore tend to do many tasks with one hand, A well designed product for a person with one arm will also work well for a new parent and others across a range of abilities and situations, making it better for many users. This is called the ‘Persona Spectrum’ in the Microsoft inclusive design kit and is used to understand related mismatches and abilities.
A similar concept from this kit is that of ‘Context Cards’. I found these very interesting and could b a good way of evaluating a design. Even by just picking one up and comparing a concept to it you can quickly get a sense of how accessible/inaccessible a design can be. Looking at them through the lens of my own project I think they are a good template and can be changed to suit different user groups, e.g. the elderly. Some general cards plus ones that have more specific groups such as children or the elderly would be good to include in my proposed toolkit.
References:
Clarkson, J., Coleman, R., Keates, S., and Lebbon, C., eds., 2003. Inclusive design design for the whole population. London: Springer.
