May 12, 2021

HCDE 298 – Inclusive Design (3) TH 1230-320 – Offered Synchronously

Will satisfy DIV requirement (won’t show up on degree audits until after the end of the quarter, since we have to manually add it)

How do we design inclusively? What does inclusive mean, and what are the practices that undergird building an inclusive society? What are the ethical implications of “inclusivity,” and how can we evaluate them? In this course, we will survey a range of methods in design and engineering that examine, support, and interrogate these issues. This is a studio course, we will work hands on, at scale, with these methods. Students can expect a fast-paced environment where we will try to enact inclusive methods, reflect on their capacities to broaden design and engineering goals, and to critique and evaluate their effectiveness from a variety of perspectives. You will learn about current practices related to the topic from both academic and industry practitioners to develop your own ideas about inclusive practices and efforts.

By the end of the course, you will have:

  1. Gained a better understanding of the differences between inclusive, universal, and accessible design
  2. Hands-on experience in prototyping in groups and individuals
  3. Increased your ability to use research and generative design to develop and explain an underlying rationale for the end product
  4. Increased capacity to critique and provide feedback on design ideas, especially through lenses of accessibility, inclusivity, and equity.
  5. Develop and articulate your own understanding of what “Inclusive Design” means.

Weekly Topics

Week 1 – Course Intro; User-centered, Universal, Inclusive, and Accessible Design

Week 2 – What is Disability?

Week 3 – Gender, Identity, and Power

Week 4 – Designing for Children

Week 5 – Healthcare and Bias

Week 6 – Queer and Trans Theory in HCI

Week 7 – Digital Racial Justice

Week 8 – Ethics of Participatory Design and Inclusion

Week 9 – Environmental Justice and Housing

Week 10 – Invisibility and Inclusion