Engineering outreach helps to address the STEM “leaky pipeline,” yet often lacks inclusive design guidance. This paper presents a methodology for co-designing activities using Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) principles. Through three workshops integrating pedagogy training and storytelling, the method proved effective: participating engineers’ IDEA knowledge jumped from 20% to 75%, and delivery confidence rose from 24% to 71%. This methodology successfully equips professionals with the confidence and skills to foster a more diverse engineering workforce.

Transition Design has gained attention for sustainability, yet its cultural dimensions remain underexplored. This paper introduces Transition Design for Cultural Inclusivity, examining the halal ecosystem in Fukuoka, Japan, as a case of cultural transition in a non-Islamic context. Using a systemic service design approach, the study maps the current ecosystem, envisions a 2045 inclusive future, and outlines transition pathways. The research contributes by addressing a gap and extending Transition Design into the cultural domain, highlighting its role in fostering inclusive futures.

Autonomous driving is a promising technology for public transportation to solve two main challenges: The driver shortage and the reduction of environmental impact. This contribution investigates if already existing requirements in standards, laws, regulations and guidelines for accessibility, safety, security and bus drivers’ tasks of transit buses in Europe and Germany can also be complied to with an autonomous transit bus or if the requirements need an adaption. 54 impactful requirements on autonomous transit buses have been found and their impact and opening design space will be discussed.

Myopia remains a major barrier to immersive VR use, causing blur and discomfort. This review compares software, hardware, and hybrid compensation approaches. Software methods offer flexible, low-cost enhancement but limited optical correction. Hardware solutions provide accurate adjustment at ergonomic cost. Hybrid systems combine adaptive optics and real-time rendering, showing promise for personalized correction. Key trade-offs and future design directions are outlined.

This paper examines the role of product design in digital age-inclusivity. As digitalisation accelerates, older adults face persistent exclusion. We argue that interaction-level tensions between the intangible nature of screen-based systems and embodied human perception contribute to this divide. We introduce the Embodied Inclusion Framework as a structured approach to enhancing physical accessibility, cognitive usability and somatic safety in digital interaction.

Barriers limit laboratory participation for students with study-impairing conditions. A mixed-methods study via survey (n=43) and interviews (n=9) identified two student clusters with distinct accessibility needs: Cluster 1 requiring flexible scheduling and modular structure for chronic illness and caregiving; Cluster 2 requiring explicit guidance and multi-modal content for visual impairment and neurodivergence. Both required institutional support infrastructure. Results establish evidence-based requirements for inclusive remote laboratory development applicable beyond target populations.

Nadheim offers healthcare to persons selling sexual services. Using relational, feminist, and system-oriented design, a rich design methodology combined cultural probes, vignette studies, and giga mapping unc toovered issues of service fragmentation, stigma, and digital exclusion. A co-created digital tool offering anonymous, centralized access to health, legal, and support services. An added speculative concept imagines a sex worker union to allow for radical change. Findings highlight trust, inclusion, and co-agency, positioning design as a catalyst for social justice.

This paper presents the Designable Inclusive Design Methodology, a modular framework that was tested across two consecutive semesters in a company-sponsored design studio within academic settings. The toolkit provides practical and repeatable methods that embed inclusion throughout the design process. Developed through research through design, it offers a fast and flexible alternative to large-scale curriculum reform. Initial findings indicate that the use of the methodology enhances student confidence, fosters deeper reflection, and promotes inclusive thinking in everyday studio work.

An inclusive mindset is essential for designing for inclusion. However, without a clear understanding of what an inclusive mindset entails, design educators and practitioners may find it difficult to cultivate. This study clarifies what constitutes an inclusive mindset and how it can be fostered in the design field. Through a scoping review of 47 studies, we systematically analysed research domains, types of inclusivity, definitions, associated attributes and factors influencing an inclusive mindset. The outcome is the development of an inclusive mindset model that outlines the core constructs of an inclusive mindset, its determinants and its translation into inclusive behaviour. The model was further refined and validated through interviews with 23 stakeholders in design and engineering education. Together, these insights provide a nuanced understanding of inclusivity and offer an empirically informed framework for advancing inclusion in design research, education and practice.

Traveling on and interacting with an autonomous bus confronts disabled passengers with a handful of different and unknown challenges in terms of accessibility. To address this, a user journey was developed that includes the challenges for disabled passengers when traveling and interacting with an autonomous bus. The user journey provides a chronological list of occurring challenges for passengers with a disability. With the help of three qualitative studies in which four bus operators, ten bus drivers and 25 disabled passengers participated, the challenges of the user journey could be identified and some important requirements for possible solutions could be determined. By identifying the challenges, solutions can now be developed so that disabled passengers can travel on an autonomous bus and therefore the accessibility of autonomous buses can be increased.

Advertisements play a key role in shaping perceptions of gender identity, which are influenced by biological traits and cultural beliefs. In India, practices like arranged marriages have historically defined gender roles, but younger generations are increasingly challenging these norms, especially through dating apps. This study examines how dating app advertisements address gender dynamics and societal challenges in India. By applying Barthes’ Semiotic theory, we analyzed a popular Bumble ad. The findings reveal how the ad promotes female agency, subverts gender norms, and portrays men as emotionally expressive. By blending modern technology with family values, the ad presents dating as empowering and respectful, challenging rigid societal norms. The study promotes inclusivity and shows how ads reshape gender narratives, and offers insights for creating socially responsible campaigns.

Human-centered design involves designing for users who may have social identities that are dissimilar from designers’ social identities. These differences could impact designers’ ability to understand users’ needs and integrate considerations of social identity into design decisions. Reflective interventions could encourage designers to actively consider social identity in design and our aim in this research is to explore this hypothesis through an experimental study. We tested the effects of completing a social identity-based reflection exercise on novice designers’ task clarification behavior. We also qualitatively examined the quality and content of the reflection responses. We find that participants who completed the intervention generated more social identity-focused design requirements, irrespective of the persona provided to them. Additionally, the content analysis revealed that designers who occupy minority identities (e.g., women and students of color) were more likely to provide deeper and higher-quality reflection responses. These findings suggest that reflective interventions could be an effective mechanism to promote inclusive design, leading to the design of products that users across social identities can use equitably. Furthermore, designers with different social identities may require different reflection cues (e.g., ones more focused on their personal experiences), to encourage deeper reflection on the effects of social identity in design.

With the current strain on the healthcare service, wearable technology presents a solution. However, there is a lack of adoption from user groups due to a focus on clinical and financial factors. This study explores the implementation of positive design in medicine, outlining contributing factors to positive emotional experiences. Using a qualitative methodology in the form of semi-structured interviews with users and experts, a construct was defined consisting of five key psychological needs, including control, stimulation, competence, social factors, and purpose & growth.

The paper explores the integration of emotional design elements in the development of medical devices to enhance user acceptance and adherence. It emphasizes the importance of a user-centered approach, acknowledging both functional and emotional needs. The study compares two cases within healthcare design, highlighting the impact of emotional design on users' perception of medical devices. Despite the different stages of development in the two cases, both employed a higher level of refflective design, aiming to create a lasting impact on users' identity using the products.

This study addresses the challenges of the ageing population, focusing on enhancing the life of caregivers and the elderly. It proposes a multifaceted solution that allows dependents to live close to their carers, enabling oversight without a need for constant presence. The paper employs empirical studies to ensure a deep understanding of caregiving, capturing the breadth and depth of challenges. Presenting a novel design solution, Hygge, combines physical and system design with technology integration. This prioritises accessibility, cost, maintenance, and adaptability for diverse needs.

Human-centred approaches within the design cycle are crucial to enhance usability and inclusivity of products. However, the qualitative nature of traditional human factors evaluation can create bottle necks, prompting the need for more data driven methods. A framework for data-driven human factors is presented, looking to integrate mixed-method approaches. Case studies illustrate its usage in real-world scenarios and challenges are summarised, calling for robust data collection methods, balancing of mixed methods, a need for explainable systems, and interdisciplinary expertise.

The UK construction industry is an important aspect of the UK economy; however, it is struggling to keep pace with wider economic growth and if it does not change it will not be able to keep up with demand. There is a gap between academia and practice, and little understanding of how to successfully innovate within the industry. Following a workshop with 25 construction industry professionals on the barriers to innovation in the construction industry, key themes were developed through thematic analysis including regulation, fragmentation and constant change.

On behalf of the project team, I report our inclusive design workshop at the Nishi-Harima Astronomical Observatory (NHAO). In the workshop, participants including people with visual or hearing impairments were asked to propose ideas to improve astronomical activities in the observatory. Some of the proposed ideas are presented. Benefits from inclusive design are also discussed.

People living with tetraplegia experience a significant loss of sensory and motor function; with the severity depending on their injury level and completeness. To complete tasks independently, people with tetraplegia often rely on assistive devices. To avoid upper extremity pain, designs should not require applications of force near the limits of the user's physical strength. This paper establishes a 2D biomechanical model using static equilibrium and joint torque limits to predict multidirectional strength patterns in the sagittal plane for people with C5 to C7 tetraplegia in a seated position. The results from the biomechanical model highlight the areas and directions of high strength. The strength patterns observed in this paper provide an opportunity for designers to evaluate strength requirements and take advantage of areas and directions of high strength and ensure that users are not required to apply force near their physical limit. In doing this, designs such as assistive devices can be developed that enable users with a reduction in strength to operate them independently.

Contemporary digital in ear hearing aids are of significant importance for social participation of users with hearing impairments. Through the advancement of technology, extreme miniaturisation of these devices has been achieved. However, by no means all people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually use one. Cormack and Fortnum state that the majority (80%) of adults aged 55–74 years who would benefit from a hearing aid, do not use them. This is in line with Arnold and Makenzie who estimate a gap of a factor of 5 between people who would benefit from the use of a hearing aid than actually do acquire and use one. Even according to the statistics from the Federal Guild of Hearing Aid Acousticians in Germany, only 3.7 million use a hearing aid out of 5.4 million who have an induced hearing loss. This article explores the design space of fashionable analogue contemporary hearing aids.