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Inclusive design - products that are easy for everybody to use (view report contents)

Introduction

Since the late 1970s the disability movement has questioned many of society’s assumptions. As a result, a great number of things have become more accessible to disabled people.

Great improvements have been made in key areas such as employment, buildings and transport. However the legislation which sets out the rights of disabled people – the1995 Disability Discrimination Act – says nothing about product design. Products have to be safe and fit for their purpose but do not have to be accessible.

The idea that products should be designed around the people who use them hardly seems contentious. But historically product design has largely been determined by engineering and manufacturing requirements rather than the needs of users. The growth of the consumer movement, new disciplines of ergonomics and industrial design have brought considerable improvements. And in turn lobbying by disability organisations and the greater visibility of disabled people has had an effect on designers. Inclusive design, the subject of this paper, is now widely discussed.
Nevertheless, some designers have held on to a fairly narrow view of how we are shaped and what we are able to do easily. There is still some truth in the idea that product designers tend to be young and male and design for people like themselves (see reference 1). In doing so they not only exclude a large and growing number of people, but make products more difficult to use for everybody else. There is still some ignorance about what inclusive design actually means and it continues to be a struggle to use some everyday products.

This report discusses what could be done.

 

Report Contents

Summary
Introduction
What is inclusive design?
The changing market place

Extent of the problem
Misunderstandings and barriers

Discussion and full recommendations

Pictures of example products
References

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