Author(s): Silva, Daniela ; Vieira, Bruna ; Leocádio, Paulo ; Burrows, Alison ; Trigueiros, Paula
Date: 2022
Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/86700
Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Subject(s): Inclusive service design; Community-based project; Participatory design; Social innovation; Workshops
The accessibility of a product, service, or space is the extent to which it can be used by everyone, regardless of individual characteristics. Accessibility therefore requires a dedicated effort to design for diverse abilities and has traditionally been conceptualised through tangible features. However, for a person to interact with a product, service, or space in the first place presupposes their inclusion in contexts where such interactions are available to them. Accessibility and social inclusion therefore go hand in hand as designers seek to respond to societal challenges in appropriate and equitable ways. This symbiotic relationship between accessibility and inclusion was explored in a small-scale participatory design project undertaken with a community in the north of Portugal with the aim of investigating how design processes and tools can be applied to foster the social and professional integration of citizens who are unemployed. This paper provides a detailed description of the design process, alongside examples of the embroidery products created and insights into the participants’ experiences, with a view to identifying the factors that led to its overall success. The discussion offers a list of recommendations based on this work, which we hope will benefit similar social innovation projects in the future.
