Abstract
This paper offers an account of how various teaching trajectories are being used to help design students combine the knowledge and skills they learn in separate classes into an interdisciplinary approach to contribute to creating solutions to complex real world problem situations. More specifically, it deals with approaches to teaching and learning in the area of designing accessible self-service including services, products and systems. Self-service is fast becoming more ubiquitous in everyday life. However, many of the selfservices available through public use technology located in public spaces are often inaccessible to older and disabled users. Classes in Design for All aim to teach future generations of students not to unwittingly exclude certain classes of users from the products, systems and services that they help to design. If Design for All solutions are to really address the deeper problems inherent in the non-accessibility of services, rather than just redesign certain aspects of self-service terminals, then a more holistic approach is needed. The richness of the problem area and its meaningfulness to our service based economy offers a contemporary problem space where design students can bring to bear a range of knowledge sets and approach overall service solutions.
Keywords
Inclusive Design Education, Service Design, Self-Service, Self-Service Terminals, Interdisciplinarity
Citation
Darzentas, J., and Darzentas, J. (2014) The Design of Accessible Self-service Products, Systems and Services: Teaching Inclusive Design, in Lim, Y., Niedderer, K., Redström, J., Stolterman, E. and Valtonen, A. (eds.), Design's Big Debates - DRS International Conference 2014, 16-19 June, Umeå, Sweden. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2014/researchpapers/93
The Design of Accessible Self-service Products, Systems and Services: Teaching Inclusive Design
This paper offers an account of how various teaching trajectories are being used to help design students combine the knowledge and skills they learn in separate classes into an interdisciplinary approach to contribute to creating solutions to complex real world problem situations. More specifically, it deals with approaches to teaching and learning in the area of designing accessible self-service including services, products and systems. Self-service is fast becoming more ubiquitous in everyday life. However, many of the selfservices available through public use technology located in public spaces are often inaccessible to older and disabled users. Classes in Design for All aim to teach future generations of students not to unwittingly exclude certain classes of users from the products, systems and services that they help to design. If Design for All solutions are to really address the deeper problems inherent in the non-accessibility of services, rather than just redesign certain aspects of self-service terminals, then a more holistic approach is needed. The richness of the problem area and its meaningfulness to our service based economy offers a contemporary problem space where design students can bring to bear a range of knowledge sets and approach overall service solutions.