Teaching diversity through inclusive design case studies

Educators, economists, and employers agree that the next generation of engineers must be trained to develop products and systems that serve diverse users. Inclusive design requires identifying the broadest possible range of users, and designing performance criteria and adaptable interfaces that enable access by people with varying physical capabilities and from diverse cultures. The end results are products, systems and services more easily used by everyone. The goal of the Engineering Education for Inclusive Design Project is to facilitate the integration of inclusive design into undergraduate engineering education. In this paper, the authors report on a pilot effort that involves the development of case-based instructional materials to introduce the concept of inclusive design to first and second year engineering students. They report on the development and use of a case study about the design of accessible automated teller machines, and discuss the implications of their work for an inclusive design case study protocol.