The way we experience the world is largely through the design of the places, products, communications, services and systems we encounter every day. Design determines how difficult or easy it is to achieve certain things - whether boarding a plane, taking a bath, cooking a meal, crossing the street or making a call, we all want a world that works for us all the time. However, some people are excluded from the simplest and most basic everyday experiences. Why? This is because the act of designing has given insufficient consideration to their level of physical ability or cognitive difference. Over the past 30 years, however, there has been an increased engagement at the most empathic and human level with the people who will experience and use designs. The concept of inclusive design was first put forward by Roger Coleman, who co-founded the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art. The centre would go on to build an extensive portfolio of collaborative projects over a long period, pioneering new methods, coaching designers at all levels in the approach and bringing a more inclusive way of thinking about design to international attention. This book maps both this movement and marks the 30th anniversary of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design in 2021.

Its show the parameters of inclusive design through their designs for 30 everyday artefacts and environments. These vary in scale: some are simple, hand-held objects, while others form part of large and complex environments or systems. Many of the creative ideas discussed in this book have seen the light of day as products on the market or as public services. Others are demonstrator projects, educating the market in the art of the possible and influencing producers and service providers to incorporate certain features. A third category we can file under 'ideas for the future'. All the projects, however, are equally valid in reflecting an approach which could be described as designing with people as opposed to designing for people.