Research has shown that while many companies agree with the principles of designing inclusively, they consider it impractical for them to adopt such practices. The reasons commonly cited include:
• Insufficient financial resources / time
• Inadequate access to product users
• Inexperience in dealing directly with users
• A lack of demand from commissioners of the design
Inclusive Design (an umbrella term for the broad collection of approaches, methods and practices for designing inclusively) aims to highlight and reduce such exclusion.
Remote Controls
The remote controls with very many buttons have become so complicated for one of two possible reasons. One explanation is that they have been designed by simply adding more buttons and features with scant regard for usability of the device. The other reason is that they have been deliberately designed to appear technically impressive ("It must be a good television if this has got so many controls"). Irrespective of the reasoning behind the design, the end result is often a remote control that is unnecessarily difficult to use.
Designers frequently find themselves having to compromise between two conflicting design objectives, knowing that whatever solution they come up with will almost certainly prevent one group of users or other from being able to use the product or service being developed. To help achieve the best possible trade-off between such conflicting requirements necessitates providing the designer with detailed information about the population so that the designer can make an informed decision.
"...Designers ensure that their products and services address the needs of the widest possible audience."
(DTI Foresight, 2000)
To be real use in inclusive design, it is necessary to investigate the relationship between design for usability, design for accessibility and inclusive design.
Social Acceptability = Aesthetic Characteristics (match users capabilities and taste)
DBA Inclusive Design Challenge
