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Design schools around the world often state that they offer instruction on topics such as sustainability, inclusive design, and responsible design. Fifty years ago, design scholar Victor Papanek had already begun teaching industrial designers that they were contributing to consumerism by designing unnecessary gadgets. Papanek urged them to offer more responsible solutions to the real difficulties that people face daily, difficulties that spanned a range of problems from physical challenges to societal ones. His works were not appreciated—at all—by his American industrial designer contemporaries, but still served as powerful inspiration to European design academics whose efforts comprise some of the first PhD work on design. Here I describe Papanek’s writing and inspiration, and note how long it took before influential design academics would seek to educate and inspire others based on his work. I have served as dean at three universities where his legacy lives on in teaching and research. I will reflect on some of the recent activities taking place under Papanek’s influence at these institutions, and offer a personal perspective of these developments, and some reflections on the progress in light of Papanek’s lessons overall.

The scaling up of zero energy (ZE) renovations contributes to the energy transition. Yet ZE renovations can be complex and error-prone in both process and outcome. This article draws on theory from sociotechnical design, participatory design, and inclusive design to analyse four recent case studies of ZE renovation/building in the Netherlands. The cases are studied using a mix of retrospective interviews and workshops, as well as ethnographic research. Three of the cases studied are ZE renovations of which two are recently completed and one is in progress, while the fourth case is a recently completed ZE new build. Three of the cases are social housing and one is mixed ownership. The research enquired into the situation of the project managers conducting the processes and also drew on resident experiences. The ZE renovation/builds are analysed as sociotechnical product-service systems (PSSs). The article evaluates how the use values, product values, and result values of these PSSs emerged from the processes. This perspective reveals issues with the usability of the PSSs, as well as with cost structures, technical tweaks, and maintenance agreements. Applying a design perspective provides starting points for co-learning strategies that could improve outcomes. Two example strategies that have potential in this regard are described, using demo dwellings and user manual as PSS prototypes in the early design phase. These and similar strategies could support the professionals in the field in creating successful ZE renovation/building processes.

Issue 13.1 brings together research and practice in the virtual realms with the first three articles focusing on designing experiences in virtual space: designing virtual experiences from a queer perspective; designing virtual simulations using inclusive design principles; finally, designing 3D prototyping models of the brain for teaching and training purposes. The last two articles of the issue focus on the affordances of the metaverse, exploring classical music concerts experienced virtually and in person and finally investigating metaverse spaces as both 'heterotopias' and 'thirdspaces'. In the reviews section, Lynne Heller presents a group of reviews of virtual reality projects that she encountered in 2022, focusing on their aesthetic, sonic and performance aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Globally, the number of digital health solutions is increasing, but they are not always designed with access and utilisation for people with impairments in mind. Development efforts have often not included the voice and requirements of people with impairments, who make up 15% of the world's population, despite the fact that this can help ensure broad access and utilisation. Little attention to and limited inclusion of people with impairments in the development of digital health solutions results in continued and reinforced inequalities in health services provision for people with impairments. This review investigates the needs and barriers of people with impairments related to use of digital health solutions and strategies to foster user participation, access and utilisation of digital health solutions.Methods: This scoping review, based on the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual, had five phases: 1) identification of aim and research questions, 2) literature search in five databases (April/May 2020), 3) literature screening based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 4) data extraction, and (5) reporting results.Results: The literature search resulted in 5968 sources, of which 25 met our inclusion criteria. People with impairments appreciate digital health solutions that are designed to meet their specific impairment-related challenges. The reported needs and barriers related to technological design varied depending on the individuals' challenges. The literature reported different types of participatory co-design strategies to foster access and utilisation of digital health solutions.Conclusion: This scoping review support needs for increased awareness among developers to design solutions that meet people's needs, contexts and states of health. By applying universal design as a strategy and including people with different types of impairments, starting in the idea creation phase of digital health solutions and throughout the development, developers can design solutions with better accessibility. Digital health solutions that are accessible and usable have a tremendous opportunity to foster health equity and achieve health promotion, prevention and self-care. This in turn can contribute to closing the gap between different population groups, reduce disparities and get the most from available healthcare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive musical instruments benefit from incorporating wearable interfaces into digital musical instrument design, creating opportunities for bodily felt experiences and movement-based interactions. In this article, we discuss the evolution of our inclusive design approach behind the design and performance practices of three wearable musical instruments. By focusing on the embodied, somatic, and tacit dimensions of movement-based musical interaction, we evaluate these case studies, combining the third and first-person perspectives. The design and implementation of the wearable sensing, utilizing the additive manufacturing techniques, are discussed for each instrument and its performer in specific cases of musical expression. This article further discusses how our approach integrates music performance as a crucial step into design and evaluation, utilizing these performance practices and such collaborative settings for improved diversity and inclusion. Finally, we examine how our design approach evolves from user-centered design to more participatory practices, offering people with diverse abilities a shared music performance space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dokuz Eylul University Muhendislik Faculty of Engineering Journal of Science & Engineering / Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Fen ve Mühendislik Dergisi is the property of Dokuz Eylul Universitesi Muhendislik Fakultesi Fen ve Muhendislik Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Fiction can stimulate empathy toward others by deepening sensitivity to difference. Pragmatist philosophers like Richard Rorty and John Dewey consider imaginative capacity the root of empathy and promote fiction as a source of ethical insight. Understanding others who are different is fundamental to designing more inclusive spaces. Based on these connections, we explore how The Shape of Water illuminates the current discourse on inclusive design, particularly how design practices influence encounters between and among diverse bodies and environments. The Shape of Water is a non-trivial, award-winning, commercial film about the inter-species romance between a mute janitor, Elisa Esposito, who works in a top-secret, 1960s military research facility, and her love interest, the captive Amphibian Man, a tall, green, biped, bi-respiratory humanoid. We explore the film's ethos as a speculative (even magic) 'realm' in which excluded individuals find agency and power in their very marginalisation and exclusion. This is most evident in its depictions of mutism and non-normative communication, which inspire fundamental reformulations of the nature of otherness and disability in relation to the material environment. We address both the film's narrative action and its scenography, with interest in how production design embodies the protagonists' exclusion and agency. The Shape of Water illuminates the discourse on inclusive design in multiple respects. First, through narrative depiction of individuals' interactions and lives, it demonstrates how divisions between 'us' and 'them' materialise in objects and spaces, and how differences considered a deficit in one context may manifest as an advantage in another. Second, through the agency of magical realism, the film invites us to explore the potential of spaces that accommodate such a/symmetry through environmental hybridity. Finally, while social and material environments are are known to disable or enable, The Shape of Water represents how they interact, highlighting the role of everyday design(ers) in making spaces more inclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Actas de Diseño is the property of Facultad de Diseno y Comunicacion, Fundacion Universidad de Palermo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With the growing popularity of exergames, researchers have noted the importance of presenting players with customizable avatars to encourage the long-term adoption of healthy behaviors offline. However, the "idealized" avatar bodies presented in avatar customization interfaces can represent limited body types and often problematically represent gender as binary. In this paper, we present a systematic analysis of the avatar customization interfaces of six console-based exergames. Results of our analysis indicate that customization options tend to be limited in exergames, especially with regard to body type and gender. Implications for avatar self-priming, self-identification, and healthy behavior adoption are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, large cities are implementing guidelines to ensure that environment, economics and sociality are at the forefront of urban design. Promotion of healthier streets has created new opportunities for social and commercial interaction and more inclusive outcomes. However, while most megacity streets share commonalities, the streets in medium-density urban centres do not always share the same problems and opportunities. Following the London Healthy Street programme, interviews were conducted on four inner-suburban Wellington, Aotearoa-New Zealand streets. Findings highlight the impacts of changing demographics and street functionality and indicate that urban scale can be a factor in opportunity for innovative and user-friendly street design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Inclusive paediatric mobility (IPM) design is a growing field in need of critical and foundational designerly transitions in order to better deal with a wicked problem. This article adopts an illustrative mapping review method to interrogate the past 50 years of IPM design, aiming to identify alternative designerly ways that could help transition the field towards a more desirable long-term future. IPM Design contributions between 1970 and 2020 are mapped chronologically across Theoretical, Methodological, Empirical, and Interventional categories. A Reflection-for-Transition framework of Designerly Ways is developed to identify existing and alternative designerly ways, through categorizing key insights from the mapping review. The framework consists of five interrelated dimensions, including Designerly: Investigations, Processes, Contributions, Collaborations, and Contexts. Proposed alternative designerly ways include: exploring high-level narratives and social imaginaries; shifting focus towards problem-framing, child-centred design and transdisciplinarity; improved documentation and sharing to build a body of knowledge; and exploring extended design contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban informality has the potential threat and opportunity for sustainable urban development. Designing public space facilities in an informal urban area is essential for achieving sustainable urban development. This study investigates public space facility design principles to improve the challenges of urban informal areas of Hong Kong for sustainable urban development. It adopted a case study methodology with qualitative methods of data collection and mixed methods of data analysis. The data were analysed using tables, theme description, figures, and pictures. The results show that the current public space design cannot effectively respond to the users' socioeconomic and environmental informal demands. The use and strategic management approach of the public space facilities are not sustainable with respect to the area's social, economic, and environmental activities. This study recommends an integrated and sustainable system approach for efficient public space facility design in urban informal areas of Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sensory substitution techniques are perceptual and cognitive phenomena used to represent one sensory form with an alternative. Current applications of sensory substitution techniques are typically focused on the development of assistive technologies whereby visually impaired users can acquire visual information via auditory and tactile cross-modal feedback. But despite their evident success in scientific research and furthering theory development in cognition, sensory substitution techniques have not yet gained widespread adoption within sensory-impaired populations. Here we argue that shifting the focus from assistive to mainstream applications may resolve some of the current issues regarding the use of sensory substitution devices to improve outcomes for those with disabilities. This article provides a tutorial guide on how to use research into multisensory processing and sensory substitution techniques from the cognitive sciences to design new inclusive cross-modal displays. A greater focus on developing inclusive mainstream applications could lead to innovative technologies that could be enjoyed by every person.

In this article, we investigate the relation between gender and exoskeleton development through the lens of intersectionality theory. Exoskeleton users come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and genders. However, it is often the case that wearable robot engineers do not develop such devices primarily on the premise that the product should fit as many end users as possible. Instead, designers tend to use the one-size-fits-all approach – a design choice that seems legitimate from the return of an investment viewpoint but that may not do as much justice to end users. Intended users of exoskeletons have a series of user criteria, including height, weight, and health condition, in the case of rehabilitation. By having rigid inclusion criteria for whom the intended user of the technology can be, the exclusion criteria will grow in parallel. The implications and deep-rootedness of gender and diversity considerations in practices and structural systems have been largely disregarded. Mechanical and robot technology were historically seen as part of a distinct male sphere, and the criteria used today to develop new technology may reflect the biases that existed in another time that should no longer be valid. To make this technology available for all, we suggest some tools to designers and manufacturers to help them think beyond their target market and be more inclusive.

Though flawed, dated, and disavowed, Selwyn Goldsmith's 1967 book Designing for the Disabled warrants serious consideration by designers today. Published as a revision of the book's first edition (1963), the second represents a complete rethinking of questions of design and disability from an avowedly British perspective, challenging dominant American assumptions about the perils of dependence and the desirability of independence. Admittedly, Goldsmith makes some troubling assumptions about disabilities, and his language is now very dated. Moreover, in the 1990s, he disavowed the approach that he advocated in the second (and third) edition of his book. Even so, the ideals of interdependence and expression of care—and the approach to designing for disability—that he first articulated in the second edition feel more relevant today than ever.

Inclusive musical instruments benefit from incorporating wearable interfaces into digital musical instrument design, creating opportunities for bodily felt experiences and movement-based interactions. In this article, we discuss the evolution of our inclusive design approach behind the design and performance practices of three wearable musical instruments. By focusing on the embodied, somatic, and tacit dimensions of movement-based musical interaction, we evaluate these case studies, combining the third and first-person perspectives. The design and implementation of the wearable sensing, utilizing the additive manufacturing techniques, are discussed for each instrument and its performer in specific cases of musical expression. This article further discusses how our approach integrates music performance as a crucial step into design and evaluation, utilizing these performance practices and such collaborative settings for improved diversity and inclusion. Finally, we examine how our design approach evolves from user-centered design to more participatory practices, offering people with diverse abilities a shared music performance space.

With the growing popularity of exergames, researchers have noted the importance of presenting players with customizable avatars to encourage the long-term adoption of healthy behaviors offline. However, the “idealized” avatar bodies presented in avatar customization interfaces can represent limited body types and often problematically represent gender as binary. In this paper, we present a systematic analysis of the avatar customization interfaces of six console-based exergames. Results of our analysis indicate that customization options tend to be limited in exergames, especially with regard to body type and gender. Implications for avatar self-priming, self-identification, and healthy behavior adoption are discussed.

The Web has become an essential resource but is not yet accessible to everyone. Assistive technologies and innovative, intelligent frameworks, for example, those using conversational AI, help overcome some exclusions. However, some users still experience barriers. This paper shows how a human-centered approach can shed light on technology limitations and gaps. It reports on a three-step process (focus group, co-design, and preliminary validation) that we adopted to investigate how people with speech impairments, e.g., dysarthria, browse the Web and how barriers can be reduced. The methodology helped us identify challenges and create new solutions, i.e., patterns for Web browsing, by combining voice-based conversational AI, customized for impaired speech, with techniques for the visual augmentation of web pages. While current trends in AI research focus on more and more powerful large models, participants remarked how current conversational systems do not meet their needs, and how it is important to consider each one's specificity for a technology to be called inclusive., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The number of blind older adults is gradually increasing with the aging of world’s population, and their needs and perception of sound are specific. This study investigated the behavioral activities of blind older adults and the dominant sound sources through on-site observation of an all-blind nursing home in China, and it used semi-structured interviews to obtain the sound perceptions of blind older adults. The findings showed that the daily behavioral activities can be categorized into basic living activity, leisure activity, social activity; and physical activity. The dominant sound sources included human, equipment, informational, and environmental sounds. This study developed a sound perception model of blind older adults in nursing homes, which takes three levels: sound requirements, acoustic environment, and sound cognition. Firstly, the blind older adults have a basic understanding of sound from the perspective of their living needs, then they feel the sound environment from the perspective of the living environment, and finally, they perceive the acoustic environment from the dimension of sound cognition in conjunction with contextual memory. This study sheds a light on the aural diversity of older adults, which is expected to support the inclusive design of nursing homes for older adults with visual impairments.

Purpose: To reduce the burden of Alzheimer's disease, the use of assistive technologies for patients and their informal caregivers is considered essential. However, these technologies are made as "one size fits all" instead of being tailored to accommodate people with varying degrees of cognitive impairment and those with diverse races/ethnicities. Thus, the aim of this survey was to determine whether the types of assistance needed most, and the technology used by those with cognitive impairment differed by race (White/non-Hispanics, Black or African Americans, and Hispanic/Latinos or Puerto Ricans) and severity of dementia (mild, moderate, severe)., Research Design and Methods: One hundred and eighty informal caregivers of people with different levels of severity of cognitive impairment and several different races/ethnicities filled out an online survey regarding assistance needed and technologies used., Results: The results show that racial minorities considered the needs for assistance with Basic Activities of Daily Living as more important compared to White/non-Hispanics with mild dementia. Furthermore, Hispanic/Latinos or Puerto Ricans and White/non-Hispanics with severe dementia were shown to use technology that is designed to help with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living more than those with moderate dementia. Lastly, during COVID-19, devices to assist with walking, preparing meals and personal hygiene have been used significantly more by White/non-Hispanics with severe dementia compared to Hispanic/Latinos or Puerto Ricans., Conclusion: The results point to the need to design for those with severe dementia, regardless of race, and should focus on addressing needs related to both Instrumental and Basic Activities of Daily Living.

Objective: This study aimed to create a tool to assess eHealth interventions for dementia by adapting an existing implementation readiness (ImpRess) checklist that assessed manualised interventions., Methods: In Part 1, online semi-structured interviews with individual stakeholders ( N  = 9) with expertise in eHealth and dementia were conducted (response rate 83%). The Nonadoption, Abandonment, and challenges to the Scale-Up, Spread, and Sustainability of Health and care technologies (NASSS) framework was applied, both to guide the construction of the interview guide, as well as to use its subdomains as codes in the deductive qualitative thematic analysis. Respondents were industry professionals ( n  = 3), researchers ( n  = 3), policy officers ( n  = 2), and a clinician ( n  = 1). In Part 2, the items of the original ImpRess checklist were supplemented by items that covered determinants discussed in the interviews, that were not included in the original checklist., Results: The main findings from the interviews included: Participants' preference for a non-dementia-specific, more general approach to the checklist; the importance of searching for shared values with implementers; and the need for more systematic monitoring of implementation., Conclusions: The EmpRess checklist applies an inclusive design approach. The checklist will help evaluate the implementation determinants of eHealth interventions for dementia and provide up-to-date information on what is, and is not, working in eHealth for dementia care.

Inclusive Design (ID) has not been widely seen as a mainstream tool for innovation, or as a strategy for business and the public sector. Methods, case studies and frameworks exist, but were not widely accessible outside of academic publication. The authors of this paper, from Norway and the UK, recognised a need for a definitive publication on ID to present the concept, benefits and tools. Their collective forty years of experience lead to the publishing of 'Innovating with People—The Business of Inclusive Design' in 2010. A second edition followed in 2019, 'Innovating with People—Inclusive Design and Architecture'. These brought together experts and practitioners to create a practical guide from primary and secondary research, drawing on personal experience and insights. The content and processes inside the publications are discussed, describing the outputs and assessing effectiveness. The paper outlines content, structure, and the intention behind the work of the authors, drawing on their complementary experience from Business and Design. The paper describes a multi‐author, multi‐contributor and multi‐disciplinary book about ID outlining eight ID activities for Design and nine for Architecture. The book has been distributed to more than 45 countries and is used by academia, consultancy, government and industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both public authorities and mid-high income groups, in many instances, tend to see urban informality as an illness that should be treated and/or eliminated. However, urban informality provides several attributes that contribute to the livelihood of many communities and surrounding residents. Urban informality possesses potentials that would facilitate both formalization and integration of such areas within the city, considering that it is currently the most prominent urbanization method. Consequently, unsafe areas' upgrading and resettlement projects should not be limited to providing housing, clean water, or enhanced sanitation. They should extend to make fair use of the existing inherent potentials to improve livability for both slum dwellers and surrounding areas. Aiming to enhance the dwellers' quality of life (QOL), upgrading projects should ensure the actual implementation of economic, social, institutional, and urban programs. This would entail the cooperation between various stakeholders to achieve inclusive development, create a sense of community, and attract local small and medium investments. This paper aims to develop a QOL Index tailored for unsafe areas' upgrading/resettlement projects. Based on the literature review of various existing indices and case study analysis, the paper develops a set of criteria to define relevant urban, social, economic, and institutional indicators to assure QOL for unsafe areas' dwellers and guide new resettlement projects with a focus on the Egyptian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite substantial investment in step-free access at UK railway stations, persons with reduced mobility (PRMs) continue to travel less than their able-bodied counterparts and little is known about the value of step-free access. This research examines the benefits of step-free access and its relationship with rail usage among PRMs, and the wider benefits of railway station accessibility. Methods: These issues are explored through a mixed methods approach. Semi-structured interviews with ten key organisations were undertaken, as was an analysis of Senior/Disabled Persons Railcard data from 17 railway stations in Buckinghamshire, each with varying levels of step-free accessibility. Results: The results show that the benefits of step-free access extend beyond benefits at the individual level typically associated with those limited to PRMs, and demonstrate the potential to positively affect the society at large economically, environmentally, and socially. The findings also show a positive correlation between the level of step-free accessibility at a railway station and the percentage of PRMs using it. Conclusions: This research argues that government and interested stakeholders should commit to expanding the number and coverage of step-free stations throughout the UK. They should ensure that the appraisal process for investment in step-free accessibility appropriately captures both user and non-user benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Head-operated computer accessibility tools (CATs) are useful solutions for the ones with complete head control; but when it comes to people with only reduced head control, computer access becomes a very challenging task since the users depend on a single head-gesture like a head nod or a head tilt to interact with a computer. It is obvious that any new interaction technique based on a single head-gesture will play an important role to develop better CATs to enhance the users' self-sufficiency and the quality of life. Therefore, we proposed two novel interaction techniques namely HeadCam and HeadGyro within this study. In a nutshell, both interaction techniques are based on our software switch approach and can serve like traditional switches by recognizing head movements via a standard camera or a gyroscope sensor of a smartphone to translate them into virtual switch presses. A usability study with 36 participants (18 motor-impaired, 18 able-bodied) was also conducted to collect both objective and subjective evaluation data in this study. While HeadGyro software switch exhibited slightly higher performance than HeadCam for each objective evaluation metrics, HeadCam was rated better in subjective evaluation. All participants agreed that the proposed interaction techniques are promising solutions for computer access task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Museums aim to offer engaging and memorable visitor experiences, but their visuo-centric bias can prove challenging for people both with and without sight. Audio Description was developed to convey visual information through verbal description to blind and partially sighted audiences. However, cognitive psychology suggests it could enhance memorability for sighted visitors by stimulating 'guided looking'. In this study, three groups of participants viewed nine photographs from the Museum of London's collections, with either no audio, a standard audio guide or an audio descriptive guide. Enjoyment and emotional responses were similar for all groups. However, one month later, audio participants recalled more photos and were more likely to have re-engaged with the collection. Crucially, audio descriptive guide participants recalled most details about the photos. This suggests that inclusive audio descriptive guides could enhance access and memorability for sighted visitors, as well as expanding crucial access provisions for blind and partially sighted people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]