A Conceptual Framework for Integrating Inclusive Design into Design Education

Understanding how to make inclusive design work for education and building up the knowledge base in this area is probably one of the most pressing tasks and challenges for Chinese design educators because of the aging problem. Inclusive design, as one of the many user-centered design approaches, has the potential to help students appreciate user capabilities, needs, and expectations [1], and is increasingly important to be introduced into mainstream design education so that they can diffuse outwards into industry [2]. However the adoption of inclusive design in design education still meets with many difficulties in China. The authors focus on the barriers and conduct an empirical study through literature review, expert interview and case study. Based on some key elements of China’s education system come from case study, a preliminary conceptual framework is proposed to organize the barriers and corresponding actions.