Last week we held the first Inclusivity Experiment event of 2020. It kicked off with a bang, looking at inclusive design in education.
“Inclusive design is design that considers everything that makes us human,” said Scott Sumner, Consultant at the Centre for Inclusive Design and guest speaker at our event.
“It is our experiences in life, our culture, gender, sex, ability and anything that makes us who we are.”
Translating awareness to practice
The Experiment has been through several iterations, beginning as a series of flash talks in 2018, followed by a co-design workshop in 2019, both with Spark Festival. Now it has made its next home at UTS, as part of the First and Further Year Experience (FFYE) Forum.
The goal of the Inclusivity Experiment has always been to raise awareness about access needs in the design and tech industry, and ensure that awareness translates into practice of inclusive design.
Informing this thinking is the Experiment’s Theory of Change; the starting point for the FFYE event last week.
Mitra Gusheh, Executive Manager, Social Impact at the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion, discussing the Inclusivity Experiment’s Theory of Change.
Created with input from students, inclusion practitioners and professionals working in design and education, the Theory of Change provides structured thinking on the issue of inclusive education, and a path forward for improvement. In order for everyone to be engaged and fully participating in their learning, there are a several things to be mindful of.
Participants in a later workshop evaluated general effectiveness in these areas of inclusive education.
Green dots indicate areas of strengths; red indicates room for improvement.
Three dimensions of inclusive design
In his presentaiton, Sumner noted the three main dimensions of inclusive deisign:
- ‘No Average Aussie’ - recognising diversity and uniqueness within yourself and your students
- ‘Nothing about us without us’ – a call for inclusive tools and practices in design
- ‘Design for one, extend to many’ – considering the broader impact of inclusive design
These ideas are intended to be flexible, and work within realistic limitations. When applied, they often have the effect of enhancing usability all around: For example, subtitles may have been designed for those with hearing impediments, but non-native speakers and locals at large enjoy the benefits of subtitles.
Mapping the Edge
‘Edge users’ are those who design often does not take into account. They fall into the outer ring of the circle of when considering who design works for.
Applying the dimensions of inclusive design can help capture these edge users, avoid excluding people and, at their best, enhance the user experience for everyone.
How would one go about doing that?
Mapping The Edge cards, designed by Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation students in 2019, show disabilities of different kinds and levels, and can be used by a group of people without access needs to put themselves in the shoes of those who do.
In an activity conducted by Lucy Allen, Associate Lecturer, Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation, and Rashmi Mohotti, Intern at the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion, participants chose a student persona in small groups, and contemplated how, as this persona, they might have issues with the first step of starting a new subject - the welcome email.
The welcome email
Dissecting the wording, clarity of the instructions, and how a student with their access need of focus might feel about preparation materials, reveals some areas that would benefit from the inclusive design lens.
For example, international students may have trouble with colloquialisms; students with hearing impairments might have issues with audio-visual materials without captions.
It is worthwhile considering these needs at the outset, rather than waiting for a request for access needs.
“The tutors may not find out that anyone in their class has any access requirements until the special consideration comes through at exam-time,” one participant noted.
“Some of the processes we have in place now are really only dealing with the marketing aspect when they could be dealing with the diversity aspect as well.”
The email used in the exercise
Although this exercise focused on the initial touch point between academics and students – the welcome email – the lessons gained can be applied to all aspects of the education experience and beyond. The simple act of considering the ‘edge users’ as part of any design process can ensure that what is produced is responsive to human needs. By considering the margins, we in fact satisfy the majority.
All in all, the Inclusivity Experiment session – along with the rest of the FFYE – was an eye-opening, thought-provoking look into the current and emerging practices of the educational sphere, and provided a glimpse into what can be done to make education more inclusive.
A venture exploring inclusive design, the Inclusivity Experiment is run in partnership with the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion and the Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation at UTS, alongside the Centre for Inclusive Design, social enterprise Remarkable, and graphic design platform Canva.