Inclusive Design

The challenge

At Hogeschool Utrecht, we aimed to bring the abstract concept of inclusive design closer to students by turning it into something actionable and practical. Through the Double Diamond process, we explored the challenges students face when designing for accessibility and inclusion. A key moment in the project was a Co-Design session with real users, which helped us uncover their needs and perspectives early in the process. The result is a thoughtfully developed toolbox which guides and supports students in integrating inclusive design principles into their workflow. It empowers them to make more informed, inclusive, and human-centered design decisions in their future practice.

In Collaboration With

Project type

Co-Design Studio Minor
8th Semester

Duration

1 month

Methods used

Crazy 8
Co-Design session
Semi-structured interviews
The path of expression
Lotus Blossom Canvas

Team

2 Designers
1 Computer Engineer
1 Interior Architect

My Roles

Designer, Researcher and Team Lead

Project kick-off

Together with my team, we started the project with a kick-off session alongside our client: Active Inclusive Design (AID), an initiative dedicated to fostering a more inclusive society through design. AID explores what designers themselves need in order to adopt inclusive practices effectively.

Our goal was to translate this mission into a research-driven, practical approach that equips the next generation of designers to think – and design – more inclusively. To lay a solid foundation, we developed a structured project plan and applied the Double Diamond process as our guiding framework. This enabled us to actively involve the target audience and gain deep insights throughout the design process.

Phase 1

Discover

"I don't want to preach about inclusive design."

"I want to put learning about inclusivity into practice and be less theory-focused."

"I am afraid that there may be a lack of motivation and interest from the students in inclusive design."

Teacher workshops

We began by reviewing and analyzing previous research conducted by the AID research group. Through AID, several workshops were held with educators to better understand their needs, challenges, and expectations when teaching inclusive design. From this research phase, we distilled three key insights, which are highlighted on the left.

Student interviews

To also gain first insights into the second and main target audience we conducted interviews with Communication and Multimedia Design students at Hogeschool Utrecht. Through these interviews, we wanted to find out more about the state of the art of teaching and their experiences. We distilled three student insights, which are highlighted on the right.

"I don't feel heard by my teacher."

"I never learned how to put inclusive design into pratice."

"It feels like it is more about the documentation than the process."

Co-Design session

What do design students need in order to learn about inclusive design and integrate it into their mindset? After building a foundation with both target audiences, we explored this question through a Co-Design session focused on shaping the ideal learning environment for design students.We invited design students to participate and guided them through the four key phases of the session: Relax, Share, Create, and Evaluate. First, they were asked to reflect on their past experiences and emotions related to their studies. Then, they were introduced to the main task: designing their ideal learning environment – one in which they would teach a topic they are personally passionate about.

Phase 2

Discover

key insight #1

The collaboration and relationship between teachers and students is complicated and needs to be improved

key insight #2

Teachers and students both want a practical approach when it comes to learning about inclusive design.

key insight #3

Students want a mentor, not a teacher.

Summarising our insights

During the research phase, we identified core insights into the needs, expectations, and challenges faced by both students and educators when it comes to learning and teaching inclusive design.

These findings became guiding principles throughout the rest of the design process. We consistently referred back to these insights to ensure that our solution would not only address the theoretical aspects of inclusive design but also meet the practical, emotional, and relational needs of our target audience.

Phase 3

Develop and Test

Our Concepts

Based on our key insights we came up with three concepts to teach students about inclusive design:

#1 The Pensieve

Inspired by the Pensieve from Harry Potter, this concept enables students to step into someone else’s perspective and experience inclusive needs firsthand.

#2 It takes two

Based on the collaborative video game, this concept focuses on strengthening the relationship between students and teachers. It promotes teamwork and mutual growth through shared learning.

#3 The soul badge

Inspired by the film Soul, this concept helps students discover their passion for inclusive design. It encourages self-reflection and supports them in identifying their unique strengths as designers.

Concept testing

To validate our Badge concept, we conducted a field test with 16 design students. Each student was asked to select five design skills they excel at from a set of predefined cards, with the option to add an additional skill of their own.

In the first round, the deck included general design skills such as graphic and UI design. Most students reported not feeling particularly unique or confident based on their selected skills. In the second round, we included inclusive design skills – such as designing for visually impaired users – into the cards. We identified a shift: students expressed greater confidence and personal connection to the inclusive skills. They also became more creative and reflective when adding their own skills beyond the cards.

Many noted that inclusive design offered them a sense of purpose and differentiation – something they felt was lacking in their standard curriculum. This test confirmed the potential of inclusive design to strengthen students’ confidence and positively influence their professional mindset.

Final product

We developed a booklet for students to use throughout the design curriculum. It combines hands-on exercises, project tasks and reflection prompts to embed inclusive thinking into everyday design practice.

At the start of each project, students select an Inclusive Design Badge – based on categories by Microsoft’s Inclusive Design Toolkit. Each badge represents a specific inclusive need and guides the student’s design focus throughout the project.

Teachers support this process through regular feedback, helping students reflect and stay aligned with inclusive goals. At the end of the project, students justify their approach and, if successful, earn the badge. Over time, they collect their individual set of badges, demonstrating their inclusive mindset and growth – reinforced by Double Loop Learning to ensure lasting impact.

Phase 4

Deliver

Product delivery

To wrap up our project, we designed an exhibition box that showcased our concept, key research insights, and the final product. We presented it to our client, design students, and faculty members during an internal exposition.

Our client responded positively, especially appreciating how our concept considers the full span of the design curriculum and its potential to help students enter the professional world with confidence in their inclusive skills.

Reflection

My learnings

I learned how to take on a guiding and leadership role within a team, helping to structure collaboration and keep the design process on track

I explored and applied new tools and methods, which I can now confidently use in future User Research related projects

I learned how to engage with users through co-design sessions, making their lived experiences an active part of the design process