Society (AQA GCSE Design & Technology): Revision Note

Design for disability

What is design for disability?

• Design for disability is when a designer creates a product that is accessible to people who require it to be adapted to their physical, sensory and cognitive needs

What are examples of common disabilities being tackled by designers?

• A physical disability such as limited movement or strength

• A hearing impairment where there is reduced or no hearing

• A cognitive disability where there are challenges to learning and understanding

• Visual impairments for those with partial or no sight

Examples of design for disability

What are some of the challenges of design for disability?

• Higher design and production costs for specialised solutions

• The cost of additional research and testing with users

• The complexity of designing for a wide range of disabilities

• The potential small number of customers being designed for

How can design for disability overcome these challenges?

• Design for disability can focus on designing for customers who have the most challenging needs first

• Once their needs are met, those without those challenging needs can be brought into the design process

• This approach can result in better design outcomes for all customers, not just those with a disability

Design for the elderly

What is design for the elderly?

• Design for the elderly is where designers focus on meeting the needs of those in a specific age range who commonly experience decreased mobility, reduced senses, lower strength and reduced cognitive capability

Why is design for the elderly increasing in importance?

• People are living longer thanks to the benefits of medicine and society

• Those classed as elderly need to maintain access to society and potentially work

• Elderly people are often more susceptible to living alone or with increasing reliance on help from others

• As people age, their physical, cognitive and sensory capabilities decrease, requiring products to be designed differently

What considerations do designers take when designing for the elderly?

• How heavy a product needs to be in use (e.g. a garden tool)

• How much force a user must be able to exert to use the product (e.g. a tin opener)

• How choices of colour and shape can create contrast for those who are visually impaired (e.g. bright colours or large fonts)

• Improved grip, shape or simplified function (e.g. kitchen scissors)

• Using technology for some interactions (e.g. a smart speaker to control electronic products in the home like heating or lighting)

Design for different religious groups

What is design for different religious groups?

• Design for different religious groups is about designing products that respect religious beliefs, values and practices, and ensure they are inclusive to users who have a religion or faith

How do designers design for different religious groups?

• Consider materials which are not associated with a particular religion (e.g. avoiding leather as an animal product for faiths including Hinduism)

• Understand and avoid symbols and images which can cause offence to religious followers (e.g. certain cultural symbols including shapes, colours, patterns and text)

• Ensure clothing is designed to reflect the modesty requirements of faiths and religions (e.g. swimwear and leisure garments covering sufficient parts of the body)

• Account for the impact of products on daily practices (e.g. designing products to be quieter if typically used during religious times of the day)

• Respect the ways in which religions choose to approach how they process, source and prepare materials (e.g. halal and kosher foods, and avoiding cross-contamination)