ABSTRACT
This chapter presents case studies from the Helen Hamlyn Research Associates Programme, an educational initiative which has been responsible for a series of inclusive design projects undertaken by new graduates of the Royal College of Art (RCA) with external partners in a wide variety of contexts. It offers a compelling good practice alternative; the programme has set a different agenda for the design profession and in the process debunked some surprisingly entrenched ideas. Working with users who are often ignored has helped young designers understand good design as a collaborative process that relies more on substantive user involvement rather than a single Eureka moment. Five distinctly different case studies have been chosen to reflect the applicability of the inclusive design process to different contexts, external partners and design disciplines. Two existing initiatives in the US offered insights into how this could be structured within an educational context one at the Rhode Island School of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology.
