Making Co-Design Workshops Accessible

We often talk about the accessibility of products or inclusion in companies, but we don’t always take these aspects into account when it comes to processes or methods that involve the participation of other people. Making co-design workshops accessible is key to ensuring the participation of everyone involved.

There are several factors that must be taken into account to promote the accessibility of this type of method and today we’re sharing some points to pay special attention to and turn your next workshops into a more inclusive activity.

Social accessibility

Social accessibility in workshops guarantees equal and meaningful participation for all. Several studies on design methods emphasise the importance of taking into account various cultural contexts, as well as language barriers and other specific needs.

This is most visible in physical barriers where we must also ensure that the workshop space is accessible.

Understanding each individual’s context means that we also have to take into account each person’s preferences regarding your presence. That is, whether they prefer a physical or digital presence. If we’re working in the health sector, it’s normal that in some cases people prefer remote workshops, given their potentially fragile and often complex situation, which doesn’t allow them to travel or could jeopardise their state of health.

Tone of voice and posture can play a fundamental role in some conditions, so it’s important to have a script for the workshops, even if it’s less structured. This ensures that we maintain assertive communication, clear language and correct posture.

Activities can exclude participants

The activities you choose may present accessibility challenges, some examples include:

• Activities that require specific motor skills, such as fine motor skills, which may exclude participants with physical and motor disabilities.

• Activities that rely heavily on verbal communication, which can disadvantage participants with speech or hearing difficulties.

• Activities that involve the use of complex technology, which may exclude participants with low digital literacy or limited access to these tools.

• Activities that require long periods of attention or physical effort, which can be fatiguing and a challenge for participants with attention disorders or other health conditions.

Before offering help, make it clear that you know the person is capable of doing anything on their own

As opposed to assuming the limitations of any participant, it is essential to communicate confidence in each individual’s ability and offer help in a way that respects their autonomy and dignity.

This is important to promote inclusion and respect for everyone’s abilities, especially in contexts where people may face stigmas or prejudices associated with their abilities.

Different ways to participate

Some participants may prefer verbal communication, while others express themselves better through practical activities. Recognising and respecting the different forms of participation is essential to ensure that each individual feels comfortable contributing according to their abilities and preferences.

This may involve creating activities that allow for verbal expression as well as participation in hands-on activities, so that all participants are able to contribute in a meaningful way.

Sharing experiences and gaining empathy

In these cases, it’s important to have more than one person in the group who shares the same condition, so that both can exchange experiences, support their cases and feel represented.

This representation makes the workshop itself fairer.

Makes the session flexible

It’s important to mitigate existing psychomotor barriers, so you need to be prepared to be flexible and allow for the possibility of adapting the various tasks. A good practice is to anticipate this scenario and have an alternative activity documented in your workshop script.

The value of the indirect mode

The use of indirect methods is important to make it easier and safer for participants to share personal stories without having to expose themselves. You could consider some of the examples:

• Development of personas

• Indirect storytelling techniques

• Visual and creative tools such as mapping, collage, role-playing and simulations to explore ideas and feelings without the need for direct exposure.

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