Postgraduate Course: dLab(4): Design for Inclusive Change (DESI11200)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Design for Inclusive Change promotes a human-centric approach to design, acknowledging the rich tapestry of human diversity and emphasising how designing with the minority can improve design for the majority. The course asks you to explore your preconceived notions, question normativity, and actively seek user input, feedback, and collaboration; placing empathy and meaningful engagement at the core of your design practice.
The course will provide you with hands-on experiences and opportunities to collaborate with individuals and communities as co-creators; leveraging their unique life experiences to address distinct needs and aspirations, with the goal of dismantling barriers and fostering a more inclusive and equitable world for all through design. |
| Course description |
Design for Inclusive Change comprises of one or more thematic project(s) that foster(s) co-creation with diverse individuals or communities, with an emphasis on the creation of outcomes that enhance individuals' lives.
This is a portfolio-led course with lots of opportunity to design and make.
The course is structured into two distinct parts to provide a clear and focused progression:
Part 1
In the first half of the course, you will engage in experimental workshops, interviews, and observations to explore how people from diverse backgrounds and abilities interact with and navigate the world. This process will encourage you to see the world from different perspectives, challenge your own biases, and gain a deeper understanding of people's lived experiences, establishing a foundation for inclusive and empathetic research and design approaches.
You will work in a reflexive sketchbook to capture your research, collaboration, and development and produce a short film in partnership with individuals or communities.
Part 2
Building on Part 1, you will develop a personal design brief in collaboration with individuals or communities, focusing on inclusivity, accessibility, and co-creation. Through iterative design processes, prototyping, and rigorous testing¿guided by continuous feedback¿you will refine your ideas into a final design outcome.
The course will conclude with a presentation of your design outcomes to a user group, gathering invaluable feedback to assess and reflect on their impact.
Teaching Structure
Teaching sessions (3 hours per week) will include a talk series covering historical context, current discourse, debates, and research supported by group critiques and peer feedback. In addition, two tutorials will support individual project development.
By guiding you through this structured journey, Design for Inclusive Change empowers you to develop a comprehensive understanding of inclusive design principles, apply them to real-world challenges, and advocate for design that genuinely enhances lives.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This Course requires additional costs to be met by the Student.
Materials: Students will be expected to fund the purchase of general art and design materials, such as sketchbooks, paper and pens. Course Organisers will support you in meeting intended learning outcomes while keeping material costs to a minimum, but students will be expected to fund material costs as necessary for their own project work. At ECA we promote the reuse and recycling of materials though, so across all work - and especially on this course - this is encouraged. We also would like to note that success in the course is not linked to expenditure; novel or sustainable approaches to material use will be commended.
Printing: Students are expected to fund printing [eg printing, booklet binding¿etc].
Travel: There are optional travel costs associated with filming locations.
Student will be expected to support the cost of [local/national] travel by public transport.
To fully participate in this course students are recommended to budget a minimum of £50 |
| Additional Costs | This Course requires additional costs to be met by the Student.
Materials: Students will be expected to fund the purchase of general art and design materials, such as sketchbooks, paper and pens. Course Organisers will support you in meeting intended learning outcomes while keeping material costs to a minimum, but students will be expected to fund material costs as necessary for their own project work. At ECA we promote the reuse and recycling of materials though, so across all work - and especially on this course - this is encouraged. We also would like to note that success in the course is not linked to expenditure; novel or sustainable approaches to material use will be commended.
Printing: Students are expected to fund printing [eg printing, booklet binding¿etc].
Travel: There are optional travel costs associated with filming locations.
Student will be expected to support the cost of [local/national] travel by public transport.
To fully participate in this course students are recommended to budget a minimum of £50
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
| Course Start Date |
15/09/2025 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 2,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 11,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 8,
Summative Assessment Hours 4,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
149 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This course has 2 assessment components, each with 2 subcomponents
Submission 1 (40%) ¿ Week 5-7 Assesses your ability to critically evaluate inclusive design principles and demonstrate an empathetic, collaborative design process.
- Sketchbook (70%) ¿ LO1/LO2/LO4 A structured, evolving and reflexive sketchbook capturing your research, observations, and critical analysis of inclusive design. It should also document your design process for film, including initial ideas, collaborations, and co-creation insights, leading to a final evaluation of how your research and interactions informed your approach.
- Short Film (30%) ¿ LO3 A 5-minute film (+/-30 secs) that explores the barriers your collaborator faces in navigating and interacting with the world around them. It should demonstrate empathy, collaboration, and engagement, offering insights into their lived experiences and the challenges they encounter.
Submission 2 (60%) ¿ December Exam Diet Focuses on developing and refining an inclusive design proposition based on findings from Part 1, incorporating a self-generated design brief.
- Sketchbook (70%) ¿ LO1/LO2/LO4 A structured, evolving and reflexive sketchbook that begins with a self-generated design brief outlining the challenge, co-creator needs, and inclusive goals. It should document your development of ideas, prototyping, feedback, and supporting work (e.g., testing and iteration), leading to a final evaluation of the design¿s impact and effectiveness in addressing the co-creator¿s needs.
- Design Outcome (30%) ¿ LO3 A professionally presented design outcome in a format relevant to your specialism (e.g., prototype, visualisation, model, or media). It should demonstrate inclusivity, accessibility, and user-centred collaboration.
Resit Information
The resit arrangements for this course are as follows.
The resit task for assessment component 1 is:
- Sketchbook (70%) ¿ LO1/LO2/LO4 A reflective and evolving document capturing research, observations, and critical analysis of inclusive design. It should document your design process, including initial ideas, collaborations, and co-creation insights, leading to a final evaluation of how your research and interactions informed your approach.
- Short Film (30%) ¿ LO3 A 5-minute film (+/-30 secs) that explores the barriers your collaborator faces in navigating and interacting with the world around them. It should demonstrate empathy, collaboration, and engagement, offering insights into their lived experiences and the challenges they encounter.
The resit task for assessment component 2 is:
- Sketchbook (70%) ¿ LO1/LO2/LO4 A structured and evolving document that begins with a self-generated design brief outlining the challenge, co-creator needs, and inclusive goals. It captures the development of ideas, prototyping, feedback, and supporting work (e.g., testing and iteration), leading to a final evaluation of the design¿s impact and effectiveness in addressing the co-creator¿s needs.
- Design Outcome (30%) ¿ LO3 A professionally presented design outcome in a format relevant to your specialism (e.g., prototype, visualisation, model, or media). It should demonstrate inclusivity, accessibility, and user-centred collaboration.
Students will receive further resit information as per University regulations where necessary. |
| Feedback |
Formative Feedback
Before the submission of summative components, a formative feedback session will be held in class. Each student/group will deliver a visual presentation to peers and staff, summarising their progress. Staff will provide verbal formative feedback on project scope, direction, and future engagement, helping students gain a deeper understanding of the assessment requirements.
Additional formative feedback is available throughout the course in various formats, including verbal discussions in group and individual meetings where students can present work and ideas to both peers and the tutor.
Summative Feedback
Students will receive individual written feedback and grades on their summative submissions via Learn VLE, in accordance with university regulations. Summative feedback will outline how the work was assessed against the learning outcomes (LOs) and provide constructive guidance for potential future development.
Summative feedback will be provided according to University regulations. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Research, critically analyse and evaluate key principles and challenges in inclusive design
- Engage in empathetic and collaborative design processes, working closely with individuals from diverse backgrounds and abilities to co-create solutions that genuinely address their unique needs and/or aspirations.
- Communicate designs for inclusive change effectively, employing diverse communication methods to convey ideas and concepts.
- Review and reflect thoughtfully upon your efforts to research, develop, and enact projects for inclusive change, assessing the impact of your work on fostering a more inclusive world.
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Reading List
Costanza-Chock, Sasha (2020) Design Justice. Editorial: The MIT Press.
Helen Hamlyn Centre https://www.rca.ac.uk/research-innovation/research-centres/helen-hamlyn-centre/
Holmes, Kat. and Maeda, John. (2020) Mismatch how inclusion shapes design. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Myerson, Jeremy (2021) Designing a World for Everyone 30 Years of Inclusive Design: Lund Humphries
Pullin, Graham. (2011) Design meets disability. Cambridge, Mass. London: MIT Press. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students on the course possess and/or wish to develop a number of key attributes and skills, both on personal and a professional level.
- Outlook & Engagement: dLab(4) Students are curious towards and committed to engage with the specificity of local communities, while also connecting and situating these within a global context. This mindset leads them to positively impact and ethically contribute to the lived experience of the constituencies affected by their work, and to carefully consider the implications of designing for change.
- Personal Effectiveness: dLab(4) Students are sensitive to different circumstances allowing them to be effective agents for change at different scales and in a variety of capacities. Students can draw on the assorted set of leadership, stewardship, collaboration, and facilitation methods and concepts encountered on the course to positively influence courses of action.
- Communication: dLab(4) Students are capable of synthesising complex ideas through a broad range of communication means and platforms. They are sensitive to socio-cultural diversity and find ways to disseminate their work that are appropriate to reach a variety of audiences, communities, and constituencies. |
| Keywords | Design,Equality,Disability,Inclusivity,Empathy |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Emily Ford-Halliday
Tel: (0131 6)51 5813
Email: Emily.Ford-Halliday@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Abbie Humphreys
Tel: (01316) 502306
Email: ahumphr2@ed.ac.uk |
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