10 weeks, 10 guest lecturers, 1 project.
Learn from 10 different industry experts who have created products centered around accessibility and inclusivity and apply those lessons to a design project completed over the course of the quarter with team members. You’ll be learning from the people who worked on products like the Xbox Adaptive controller, AirPods Hearing Accessibility features, Be My Eyes app, custom-made wheelchairs for athletics, interface devices for the blind, and more. For your project, you’ll work in groups to understand someone’s day-to-day problems that result from their impairment. With that perspective in mind, you’ll ideate, prototype, redefine, and refine over the 10 weeks to create a solution that helps them overcome this challenge. By the end of the course, you'll have a deeper understanding of the principles of accessible design and the tools to create products that truly kick butt. Join us and let's make the world a more inclusive place!
Some companies I believe in
Microsoft
Bryce Johnson or a member on the accessibility teams from Microsoft.
Caption: 3D, interactive poster of Microsoft's Xbox Adaptive gaming controller. The poster says "Learn from the team behind revolutionary products" and has an Xbox adaptive controller next to an Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and the Microsoft logo.
Really great story and mission that resulted in really beautiful products.
Caption: a poster for Eone, a company that makes watches for the blind that can be read with touch. There are four watches on the poster, each a different color.
Caption: promo image for be my eyes that reads “see the world together”. There’s a visually impaired individual holding their phone up to ingredients, and a small pop out image of the ingredients. On the other side of the image, a sighted person is inputting a description of the ingredients for the low-sighted individual.
Apple: Hearing Accessibility or VoiceOver/Vision Accessibility
Caption: an image of a MacBook, iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad. The MacBook shows two people on FaceTime, and two of them are using sign language. The iPhone shows the camera app with labeled buttons for easier understanding. The Apple Watch is warning the user of loud sound exposure. The iPad is showing text recognition on images, which allows the user to highlight the text to have it be read out loud.
Amazing company specializing in technology solutions for the visually impaired.
Caption: an image showing a Humanware Brailliant, a device for reading and typing Braille on the computer.
Company that creates custom wheelchairs to better meet requirements for sports activities and everyday needs.
Caption: a group of para-athletes using specialized wheelchairs for athletic activities.
OXO Design
Learn about the legendary cooking tool design firm and how they always nail ergonomics, making appliances that can be used comfortably and safely.
Caption: a peeler designed by OXO, which has a large grip made of rubber. It sits on a wood surface, and around it there are lots of other grip designs, which don’t have the actual peeler attached to them.
A new type of hearing aid that uses AI to improve its performance in different situations.
Caption: 3 columns, the first that reads “Whisper Brain: Optimizes sound in real time using advanced sound separation technology.” The image above the text is an electronic device that is a rectangle with rounded sides/corners and dimples. The middle column has an image of two hearing aids, and reads “Earpieces: Feature all the benefits of a modern hearing aid." The final column shows an app on an iPhone and reads "Whisper app: Delivers regular software upgrades".
Great case study in developing a product for accessibility that then becomes a feature that everyone can enjoy and take advantage of. Personalizes audio based on hearing loss.
Caption: a phone with a user interface that features sound personalization. On the interface, you can enable/disable the personalization, tune it to "Softer", "Recommended", or "Richer", change the "intensity" from 0 to 100, and view your hearing test results.
Focused on creating robust prosthetics for athletes who want to push the limits.
Caption: photo showing a durable, dynamic-looking prosthetic leg next to another wearing a running shoe.