1Wheelchairs: from engineering to inclusive design

This paper describes a study to investigate ways to improve the design of assistive technology with a particular focus on wheelchairs. Assistive technology by its very nature is designed to be functional for a user group that includes disabled and older people. Hence the study looked to the emerging field of inclusive design to inform the emotional and aspirational aspects of human-technology interaction. It is proposed that people who design assistive technology, or who make the design decisions, may consider the concept of “people having emotional and aspirational needs in relation to products ” to be rather abstract and perhaps not relevant. To counter this view, the study researched and developed reasons why emotional and aspirational aspects of design are relevant to wheelchair development. It is proposed that such rationale could form the basis of a design tool, illustrating the relevance of emotional and aspirational design, to be applied to assistive technology in general. The study also indicates how inclusive design, within the field of assistive technology, might be encouraged through events in society. Analysis of the development of NHS 2(National Health Service) spectacles provides suggestions as to possible future directions for wheelchair design