Inclusive design: beyond capabilities towards context of use

Inclusive design is oriented to a particular outcome, to ensure that products and services address the needs of the widest possible audience. Approaches towards achieving this aim include the use of ergonometric data to predict product exclusion and the participation of extreme users in a design team. This discussion paper extends these approaches by comparing the inclusive design process to the design process that has evolved for Interaction Design within Human Computer Interaction, and in so doing identifies additional issues and processes. Potential ways practicing designers in an Inclusive Design context might approach these concepts are suggested. True Inclusive Design must engage the widest population as actual users not just potential users. This objective can only be achieved through a move from a view of Inclusive Design as solely concerned with individual capabilities to a view of Inclusive Design set in a social context.