LESSONS OF SOCIAL CO-DESIGN FOR INCLUSIVE DESIGN

This article concerns how designers sought to create improved
social relations among severely disabled residents in a care home in
Denmark. Rather than to rely on paid help, the care home management
wanted to increase the number of voluntary friendships between the
residents of the home and members of the local community. From a design
standpoint, the project explored ways to determine the needs of individuals
with severe communication difficulties. This presented a very demanding
challenge since the key “users” were unable to express themselves. The
methods designers typically choose to find out about their target user group
involve interviews and discussions. Most design processes assume the user is
able and willing to communicate their needs. This condition did not apply
here. The paper builds on work done (Herriott 2012) which looks into
methods and approaches that get past the problem of the “absent user.” The
paper examines how the use of proxies affects the design process and the
way in which social design produces not only a “product” but affects the
conditions in which it will be used.