Co-designing accessible co-design

Abstract

Participant empowerment is a core function of co-design. However, some participants might find co-design sessions disempowering if they cannot engage in activities or undertake tasks. Consequently, researchers and designers need to ensure that co-design is used in a way that is accessible to all participants regardless of impairment or disability. In this case study, we report on the accessibility of a co-design process through a series of co-design workshops with university students who experienced disabilities. While the co-design sessions explored the topic of an ‘accessible university’, participant reflections on the co-design experience brought to life the meaning of ‘accessibility’ in the context of how best to involve them in a co-design process. A flexible and negotiated approach and adapted tools improved the experience for those with accessibility challenges. Five key insights are presented to support others who wish to facilitate accessible codesign sessions.

Keywords:

• Co-design
• accessibility
• creative design methods

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all participants who gave them time and expertise during this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Olivia Labattaglia

Olivia Labattaglia is a User Experience Designer and Researcher in software. In her work, Olivia enjoys the user research and problem-discovery phases. Working with customers to understand how software products have the potential to change the way people work, and designing flexible solutions that are can be utilized by people regardless of context or sector.

Stephen Reay

Stephen Reay is a Professor, School of Art and Design and Director of Good Health Design at University of Technology (AUT) – a design studio that has been initiated to more effectively explore how to bring together the fields of design and health and to help students better understand how they can engage with design processes in the area of health and wellbeing.

Ivana Nakarada-Kordic

Ivana Nakarada-Kordic is a design for health researcher at Good Health Design, Auckland University of Technology (AUT). Her current research focuses on the potential of human-centred design to support and enhance health and wellbeing, including developing and applying creative and empathetic human-centred approaches and methodologies for researching complex experience problems and facilitating the sharing of knowledge between designers and non-designers.