Inclusive Design Toolkit

This section provides further information on websites, books, conferences, training courses and organisations relevant to inclusive design and the related disciplines of ‘Design for all’ and ‘Universal design’.

On this page:

This list contains resources that aim to inform design decisions with a population-based perspective of diversity. It does not include resources focused on designing to accommodate specific disabilities. Full details of books and papers are given in the References section at the end of the list.

• This inclusive design toolkit was originally written as a book in 2007 (Download as a PDF). However, note that the website has been developed through 2 subsequent releases since then, and nearly all of the content has been rewritten or updated.
• The Designing with people website contains ethical guidelines and practical resources to share ways to design with people, especially the end-users of your products and services.
• The Universal Design File (Story et al, 1998) is a practical guide to universal design, freely available from the Center for Universal Design’s website.
• Keates and Clarkson (2003)’s book gives an introduction to inclusive design.
• Preiser and Smith (2010)’s book is a comprehensive handbook on universal design, covering a range of design sectors
• The British Standards Institute (2005)’s guide provides guidance on managing inclusive design in business settings.
• The UniversalDesign.com website provides articles, links and information on universal design.
• The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) provides specific tools for planning and evaluating web accessibility. Yoyo Design have also published this Complete guide to web accessibility.
• Eldertech’s Senior-Friendly user interface design guidelines website provides advice on designing technology for older people.
• The G3ict e-accessibility policy toolkit is a guide for policymakers implementing universal design in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
• Enabled by design is a ‘design for all’ social enterprise where people can share new product ideas and questions together with products, services and designs that they love, hate or custom modify.

References

Story MF, Mueller JL, and Mace RL (1998) The Universal Design File. The Center for Universal Design, NC State University, North Carolina, USA.

Keates S and Clarkson PJ (2003) Countering design exclusion: An introduction to inclusive design. Springer: London, UK.

Preiser W, Smith KH (eds) (2010) Universal Design Handbook. 2nd Edition. McGraw-Hill, New York.

British Standards Institute (2005) British Standard 7000-6:2005. Design management systems - Part 6: Managing inclusive design - Guide.

• Include conference is a biennial international conference that focuses on issues central to inclusive and people-centred design. It is organised by the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art.
• CWUAAT (Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access and Assistive Technology) is a biennial academic workshop on inclusive design and assistive technology, hosted by the Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge.
• ASSETS is an annual conference exploring the potential of ICT to support and include people with disabilities and older adults.
• HCI International is an annual conference with a regular strand on Universal Access in HCI (Human Computer Interaction).

This section lists some of the training resources available in the UK in Inclusive Design. It is not intended to be a complete list, and courses vary from year to year. This is provided as a starting point for people interested in finding out about the possibilities.

Online courses

Skill share hosts some online inclusive design classes for web design.

Postgraduate courses

Postgraduate courses in inclusive and universal design include:

• MSc/Diploma/PGCert in Human Factors for Inclusive Design, Loughborough University.

Other training opportunities

The Centre for Business Innovation - Inclusive Design Consortium is a programme designed for major companies around Europe that want to increase sales, reduce costs and improve their market position through inclusive design.

This section lists some of the UK and US research groups associated with designing for the full range of population diversity. It also covers worldwide virtual networks. It is not intended to be a complete list, but to provide a starting point for finding out more. In particular, the list does not include groups focusing on the related discipline of assistive technology design.

The description of each group has been paraphrased from its corresponding website, and each list is sorted alphabetically.

United Kingdom & Ireland

• The Centre for Accessible Environments provides consultancy, training, research and publications on building design and management to meet all user needs, including disabled and older people.
• The Design School at Loughborough University conducts research into products, services, equipment and environments to ensure they meet the needs of the end users.
• The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design (Royal College of Art) undertakes design research and projects with industry that will contribute to improving people’s lives.
• The Human Centred Computing group at the University of Dundee investigates the design, implementation, deployment and evaluation of technology with and for specific groups. This includes the socially disadvantaged, older users, those in long-term or intensive care, and those with disabilities.
• The Inclusive Design Group at the Engineering Design Centre (University of Cambridge) researches the interplay between the demands products make of their users and the diverse range of capabilities of those users. In particular, they are researching how knowledge of inclusive design thinking in the design and retail community can enable the design of more inclusive products.
• The OPENspace centre (based in the Universities of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt) is an international research centre contributing new evidence on why inclusive access to the outdoors matters.
• The Wellbeing In Sustainable Environments group (University of Warwick) researches how the built environment affects the wellbeing, mental health and quality of life of residents and other users.

United States & Canada

• CREATE: Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement is a multidisciplinary centre seeking to ensure that the benefits of technology can be realised by older adults to enhance their independence and quality of life.
• The Center for Universal Design (NC State University) is a national information, technical assistance, and research centre that evaluates, develops and promotes accessible and universal design in housing, commercial and public facilities, outdoor environments and products.
• The Human Factors & Aging Laboratory (University of Illinois) focuses on understanding the fundamentals of psychology as they relate to human behaviour in the context of technology interactions, and aims to improve quality of life for adults of all ages.
• IDeA (Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access) (University at Buffalo) is dedicated to making environments and products more usable, safer and healthier in response to the needs of an increasingly diverse population.
• The inclusive design research centre at OCAD University, Toronto is a research and development centre where open source developers, designers, researchers, advocates, and volunteers work together to ensure that emerging information technology and practices are designed inclusively.
• The Trace Center (University of Maryland) does research to make everyday technologies accessible and usable.

Virtual networks and collaborations

• The Design for all foundation collects and disseminates Universal Design/ Design for All Good Practices and knowledge around the world; enhances the respect for human diversity and works for a world where everyone enjoys equal opportunities for personal development.
• EIDD Design for all Europe is an international platform for different organisations with a common goal: a more inclusive Europe for everyone.
• The Institute for Human Centred Design is an international non-governmental educational organization (NGO) committed to advancing the role of design in expanding opportunity and enhancing experience for people of all ages and abilities through excellence in design.