Our Design for All process: inclusive innovation that generates value and business opportunities.
A design approach that transforms extensive and complex needs into affordable and win-win solutions for companies, organisations and people.
We place people and sustainability first, offering affordable and comfortable solutions for all.
The Design for All process is at the heart of our design approach. Developed to address the challenges of human diversity, it aims to ensure inclusion, accessibility and equality through innovative design solutions. This process is the foundation on which we design projects that meet the needs of all, while enhancing business opportunities for our clients.
It’s developed in a sequence of structured phases, inspired by the ‘cascade’ model, where each phase is tailored to guarantee a concrete and measurable result.
In the Design for All process, experts, users and stakeholders actively participate in each phase, with an iterative challenge that refines ideas and solutions, enhancing skills and experience for mutually shared results.
0 | TUNING DESIGN FOR ALL
Conceived to introduce the basics of Design for All to organisations, institutions and companies. Although this phase is optional, it’s essential to create a shared awareness of the approach, method and expected results at each stage of the process. The goal is to build a basic knowledge of the issues of inclusiveness, providing tools to correctly understand the results generated along the design process.
Main features
- It is a preparatory and training phase.
- It provides theoretical and practical foundations to orient participants to Design for All.
- It is based on lectures and concrete case studies, where workshops can also be organised.
Operational tools
- Lectures on the Design for All approach and benefits.
- Presentation of good practices and successful cases applied in similar contexts.
- Digital and printed training material to support learning.
- Real-life examples to illustrate the concrete impact of the approach.
1 | GATHERING OF NEEDS
We research and analyse the needs of users, stakeholders and context. Through tailor-made co-design activities, we identify critical issues and opportunities, creating a solid basis for project development. Direct user involvement is central to ensuring that solutions are anchored in real, shared needs.
Operational tools
- Co-design workshops: tailored to the specific context and project.
- In field observations: to identify critical issues directly in places of use.
- SWOT analysis: to assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks.
- Interviews and focus groups: conducted at the end to validate preliminary results.
Output
- Detailed list of needs gathered from workshops and observations, divided by scope and categories.
- Visual mapping of opportunities and criticalities.
Outcome
- In-depth understanding of target group and stakeholder needs.
- Identification of project priorities, guided by a shared vision.
2 | UNDERSTANDING
This phase is intended to research and deepen the topics that emerged in the previous step. The goal is to obtain a complete understanding of the requirements expressed, analysing the data collected and solidifying the knowledge. This is crucial in order to lay a solid foundation for the next round, during which system or project requirements will be defined.
3 | PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
System and project requirements are set, establishing the characteristics and limits that the project must comply with. The requirements are based on the needs that emerged in the previous phases and carefully consider the invariants, i.e. the constraints imposed by the client. This is a crucial phase to ensure that each design solution is concrete, feasible and aligned with the objectives.
Operational tools
- Drafting of the requirements document: a technical and strategic guide that includes characteristics, constraints and design objectives.
- Stakeholder validation sessions: possible discussion with stakeholders to confirm that the requirements meet all needs and respect the defined constraints.
- Creation of requirements/objectives matrix: to check consistency between requirements and expected results.
Outcome
- Project planning clarity: a clear direction for project development.
- Strategic alignment: between the client’s requirements and the design solutions.
- Solid basis for the next phase: Requirements serve as a guide for co-design and prototyping.
4 | CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
The heart of the design process, where ideas come to life after the long process of analysis and definition of requirements. This phase represents a crucial moment for translating the results of the previous steps into tangible and innovative solutions, capable of responding to the needs that have been identified.
During this stage, design concepts are developed with great care, taking into account established requirements, design invariants and technical and regulatory constraints. It’s not just a matter of generating ideas, but of transforming them into concrete proposals that are functional, feasible and aligned with the strategic objectives in order to meet the needs of human diversity.
To ensure maximum value, concepts undergo an iterative validation process with end users, stakeholders and the client. This constant interaction allows solutions to be refined, ensuring that they meet the expectations of all stakeholders and comply with project constraints.
Operational tools
- Concept development: translation of requirements into design solutions through sketches, models and simulations.
- Low-fidelity prototypes: creation of preliminary models to represent ideas and test their validity.
- Validation sessions: involvement of users, stakeholders and clients to gather feedback and verify that concepts are aligned with expectations.
- Concept-requirements matrix: Tool to ensure that each proposal meets the requirements established in the previous phase.
5 | FINAL DESIGN
The project gets its final shape. It’s here that the approved concept is turned into a detailed and feasible solution, thanks to in-depth development that considers every technical, functional and practical aspect.
During this phase, the team works to refine the project to the highest level of technical detail, ensuring that all specifications are met. In addition, extensive usability and functionality tests are carried out, involving users and stakeholders to confirm that the solution is effective, inclusive and fully meets the design requirements.
This phase is not only operational, but also strategic: the end result must be aligned with the client’s objectives and integrate seamlessly into the context of use. Every element of the project is checked and optimised to ensure a product or system that is ready for implementation and able to generate real value.
Operational tools
- Detailed technical development: elaboration of technical and production specifications.
- Advanced prototyping: creation of realistic models to test solutions in real-life contexts of use.
- Usability and functionality testing: evaluation with real users to verify ease of use, effectiveness and accessibility.
- Iterative revision: design optimisation based on test results and stakeholder feedback.
Would you like to see the storytelling of our projects?
View portfolio
An ecosystem of skills to face the most complex challenges
In every design, and even more so in the most complex challenges, our strength lies in our ability to broaden the perspective thanks to the contribution of an extended team of excellence. We actively collaborate with Design for All Italy and Europe, whose international networks offer a unique vision on the topic of inclusiveness. This dialogue is further enriched through the involvement of prestigious universities and their research teams, experts in analysing and solving innovative questions.
This synergy of multidisciplinary expertise is not limited to satisfying immediate needs, but goes as far as exploring as yet unexplored design territories, raising and addressing questions that often had never been asked before. Such an approach not only expands the horizons of design, but generates bold and unusual answers that redefine the standards of quality and inclusiveness.
