CONFERENCES
E&PDE 2026 - 28th International Conference on Engineering & Product Design Education
The Conference will bring together representatives from education and industry interested in sharing new perspectives on design education.
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In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.
FROM CLASSROOM TO CONCEPT: BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE PRODUCT DESIGN STUDIO FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
Weir, Sara; Gill, Carolina
Type:
Year:
2026
Editor:
Buck, Lyndon; Brisco. Ross; Bohemia, Erik
Author:
Series:
E&PDE
Institution:
Lenovo, United States of America; North Carolina State University, United States of America
Page(s):
493 - 498
DOI number:
ISBN:
978-1-912254-24-8
ISSN:
3005-4753
Abstract:
The following paper explores the process of planning and leading an inclusive product design studio course lead by an industrial design professor and an industry expert. The studio will be conducted as a graduate level course in the Department of Design with 10 final year master students. Each student will be paired with an “accessibility expert” who is an individual who self identifies as having a disability and experiences unique accessibility needs. Throughout the semester, the student and accessibility expert will work together to identify a challenge and design a solution that addresses the challenge, resulting in 10 unique product design solutions. This studio will allow students to gain hands-on knowledge of working with individuals with accessibility needs, experience adapting their research and design methods to meet the needs of diverse end-users, and lessons on accessibility best practices to apply to future projects. This paper highlights the end-to-end process of planning an inclusive product design studio from idea to final outcomes, Student perspectives on lessons learned from the experience of designing with individuals with disabilities, Professor reflections on the successes and failures of planning and leading an inclusive product design studio, and Industry expert guidance on real world applications and benefits for designing inclusive products
Keywords:
