Abstract
Focusing on the members within our communities who are often overlooked and underserved (e.g., aging and disability), can lead to a higher level of innovation for the designer. This paper discusses the newly established (dis)Ability Studio based in a traditional scientific and engineering institute, which provides a unique environment that supports individuals as contributors to knowledge rather than only research subjects. This studio supports diverse abilities and is underpinned by the goal that products, environments, services, and policies, need to be designed by rather than designed for if we acknowledge that the more typical abled-bodied designers can often miss the opportunity to integrate the ‘voice’ of the user. This discussion highlights an emerging design and disability community that enriches design education and design research projects. Two research projects are discussed (1) an omnidirectional hands-free self-balancing ballot chair and (2) an ‘aging in place’ housing system for life-long living. As a community let us go beyond the convenient sample to ensure we enable user-inspired innovation.
Presenters
Deana McDonaghDirector of the (dis)Ability Design Studio, Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Illinois, United States Eunmi Moon
Student, Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Thinking, Learning, Doing: Plural Ways of Design
KEYWORDS
DISABILITY, INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, USER-INSPIRED INNOVATION, DESIGN RESEARCH
