Tong Lo
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Inclusive kitchen and bathroom
2023
-> Inclusive Design
-> Neurodivergence
-> Accessibility
-> Inclusive Design
-> Neurodivergence
-> Accessibility
Kitchen and bathroom designs that are better for everyone.
A research project for an industry client to explore and develop a deeper understanding of user needs, challenges and aspirations about kitchen and bathroom design, with both immediate application for their product range, and long-term impact for the business and brand.
Overview
In our everyday lives, kitchens and bathrooms serve as vital spaces that impact our experiences. However, the extent to which these spaces enhance our lives hinges greatly on their inclusivity in design—neurodiversity in particular emerged as an underexplored area. This project explores the diverse needs of users to fulfil not only physical but also cognitive and sensory accessibilities.
My role
I was responsible for the literature review, workshop facilitation and data analysis.
Literature review
The literature review included a review of academic and ‘grey’ literature, together with contemporary design and industry practice to
The core design areas include considerate design for psychological and emotional needs and intelligently adaptable and responsive integration of technology in kitchen and bathroom space.
- Scope the current state of the art in inclusive kitchen and bathroom design about diverse customer needs, user experience, and design considerations
- Identify gaps in current thinking and practice to be addressed through the workshop
- Define criteria for inclusion in participant recruitment
The core design areas include considerate design for psychological and emotional needs and intelligently adaptable and responsive integration of technology in kitchen and bathroom space.
Participatory workshop
The main primary research method was a participatory workshop with a carefully selected group of 11 ‘lead users’. The lead users represented diversity across the age spectrum and had a combination of dexterity and mobility issues, visual impairment, learning disabilities, cognitive diversity (ADHD, dyslexia, autism), and chronic health conditions, e.g. TMJ and mental health. The methodology was participatory to ensure that end users and customers and their needs and aspirations were directly involved throughout the research and innovation process.
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Data analysis
The main data streams generated from the workshop resulted from participant responses to the eight workshop activities for kitchens and bathrooms, which were captured via note-taking, workshop templates and audio recordings.
1. Thematic analysis ︎︎︎
2. Wordcloud generation ︎︎︎
3. Data synthesis︎︎︎
4. Impact-implementation mapping︎︎︎
Disclaimer
The images are indicative. The final designs and research results are confidential.