Expert insights reveal strategies for inclusive co-design with adults with intellectual disabilities.

Why It Matters

Traditional co-design methods often assume a level of cognitive ability that may exclude certain user groups. By consulting with experts, design teams can proactively identify and mitigate potential barriers, ensuring that the co-design process is truly inclusive and yields more representative insights.

Key Finding

Experts identified that typical co-design activities are often inaccessible to people with intellectual disabilities, and that consulting these experts can help create more inclusive approaches.

Key Findings

• Standard co-design activities present significant accessibility barriers for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
• Expert consultation can effectively identify these barriers and inform the development of adapted, more inclusive co-design methods.
• Specific recommendations for workshop design and facilitation are needed to support engagement.

Research Evidence

Aim: How can expert knowledge be utilized to develop more accessible co-design workshops for adults with intellectual disabilities?

Method: Qualitative research, Focus Groups

Procedure: Two focus groups were conducted with 12 experts in the field of intellectual disabilities to identify accessibility barriers in standard co-design activities and to propose modifications for a more inclusive workshop.

Sample Size: 12 participants

Context: Design research, inclusive design, intellectual disabilities

Design Principle

Involve domain experts to refine participatory design methods for diverse user populations.

How to Apply

When designing for user groups with specific cognitive needs, conduct expert interviews or focus groups to understand potential challenges and inform the adaptation of your design process.

Limitations

The findings are based on expert opinion, not direct engagement with the target user group during the initial barrier identification phase.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: If you want to design something with people who have intellectual disabilities, ask people who know a lot about intellectual disabilities first how to make your design process easier for them.

Why This Matters: This research shows that you can't just use standard design methods for everyone. You need to think carefully about who you are designing with and adapt your approach to make sure they can participate fully.

Critical Thinking: To what extent can expert opinion truly substitute for direct user testing when adapting co-design methods for vulnerable populations?

IA-Ready Paragraph: This study highlights the critical need to adapt co-design methodologies for individuals with intellectual disabilities. By engaging with subject matter experts, as demonstrated by Gibson et al. (2020), designers can proactively identify and mitigate accessibility barriers inherent in traditional co-design activities, leading to more inclusive and effective participatory design processes.

Project Tips

• Clearly define the 'experts' you will consult and why they are relevant.
• Document the specific co-design activities you are adapting and the rationale for each change.
• Consider how you will measure the success of your adapted co-design process in terms of user engagement and output quality.

How to Use in IA

• Use this research to justify your decision to consult experts when adapting a design process for a specific user group.
• Cite this study when discussing the challenges of inclusive co-design and the strategies for overcoming them.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate an understanding of the limitations of standard design methodologies for diverse user groups.
• Show how you have proactively considered and addressed potential accessibility issues in your design process.

Independent Variable: Expert consultation on co-design accessibility

Dependent Variable: Identification of accessibility barriers and proposed modifications for co-design workshops

Controlled Variables: Type of co-design activities discussed, expertise of focus group participants

Strengths

• Addresses a gap in existing literature regarding practical guidelines for inclusive co-design.
• Utilizes a relevant methodology (focus groups with experts) to gather practical insights.

Critical Questions

• What are the ethical considerations when designing for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and how do these influence co-design adaptations?
• How can the effectiveness of adapted co-design methods be rigorously evaluated with the target user group?

Extended Essay Application

• A potential Extended Essay could investigate the direct impact of expert-informed co-design adaptations on the engagement and output quality of adults with intellectual disabilities compared to standard co-design methods.

Source

Lessons from Expert Focus Groups on how to Better Support Adults with Mild Intellectual Disabilities to Engage in Co-Design · 2020 · 10.1145/3373625.3417008