Developing a Participatory Approach to Accessible Design

Abstract

This article describes how accessibility to ICTs is understood as conformity to standards, which usually ends in designs that do not consider the singularities of people. This article delves into a participatory approach to accessible design, as an alternative to design guided simply by standards. It first defines a relevant network of stakeholders for accessible participatory design, based on the expertise that each of them can provide. It then discusses the issue of consensus among stakeholders, necessary to make design decisions when there are conflicting views. Finally, it addresses the question of non-technological outcomes and methodological concerns of Participatory Design that should inspire the accessible design agenda.

Recommendations for the Development of a Robotic Drinking and Eating Aid - An Ethnographic Study

“…Traditionally the focus in the field of developing assistive technologies has been on functionality from an engineering point of view. Recent findings however highlight the need to include future users and their perceived needs in the design process [26]. In this section we first examine previous work done on concepts of user participation and collaborative approaches.…”

Tangible Web Layout Design for Blind and Visually Impaired People

“…Participatory Design is a design approach where the the prospective users of a design participate in the design process as co-designers [64]. It can democratize the design process because, instead of the traditional designer-client roles, it makes all the stakeholders collaborate in the design process [39]. Research has also shown that, when compared to designers working solo, Participatory Design has a much higher potential for creativity and innovation [44,61].…”

Vers un design accessible, au-delà du design de la forme et de la fonction

“…S'ils peuvent servir de guide dans le processus de conception, ils dénotent de vrais manques quant à la façon d'agencer les parties prenantes dans l'espace et dans le temps, de provoquer leur créativité, de les faire coopérer ou de les faire adhérer aux propositions de solution. Les travaux de recherche sur le design de relation participatif sont également peu nombreux dans le champ de l'accessibilité (Brock et al, 2010 ;Laitano, 2017 ;Metatla et al, 2015).…”