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Russell Marshall
Russell
Marshall
Steve Summerskill
Steve
Summerskill
A design for life
Loughborough University
2012
untagged
Design Practice and Management not elsewhere classified
2012-10-10 13:05:08
Journal contribution
https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/A_design_for_life/9349247
The social, ethical, legislative and business cases for products, services and environments that are
accessible and inclusive are well established. Yet, ‘good design’ is perhaps not as common as it
might be, with many products being designed without due care and attention to the needs of all
users. However, practitioners (designers, ergonomists, transport or urban environment planners
etc. ) are increasingly ‘on board’ with this need and so what then leads to designs still being
produced that incorporate short-sighted and exclusive decision making?
The complexity of design should not be underestimated and often designers are managing a
complex array of stakeholder requirements. Some requirements may be conflicting and demand
different directions for the design. Essentially what is required is more support for these
practitioners in ways to identify, understand and accommodate the needs, desires and aspirations of
as many users as is possible.