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Accessibility and inclusive design: how to innovate in product design

An inclusive product starts from a brief that considers the diversity of people from the outset, not from a later adaptation. The process from Co-Design to prototype, the everyday gestures redesigned in our projects, the questions to ask at the start and the reference standards.

March 2025 · updated 29 October 20267 min read

An inclusive product does not come from adaptation: it comes from a brief that considers from the outset the diversity of the people who will use it, in age, ability and permanent or temporary conditions. Design for All and Inclusive Design, two distinct and complementary approaches, turn this diversity into design requirements, and often into innovation. The Prime washbasin proves it: a countertop washbasin that complies with accessibility standards and, at the same time, respects the dignity of the people who use it.

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Design for All and Inclusive Design in products: two approaches

According to the EIDD Stockholm Declaration (2004), Design for All is design for human diversity, social inclusion and equality: a process that involves people and takes their diversity as the starting point of the design. Inclusive Design, which originated in the United Kingdom, designs mainstream products and services so that they are accessible to, and usable by, as many people as reasonably possible, without the need for special adaptation. They are two distinct and important approaches that converge in products: the differences are described in the article Design for All, Inclusive Design, Universal Design: design approaches compared.

A well-designed product must meet criteria of ergonomics, intuitiveness and usability without requiring adaptation after the fact. This means a design process in which accessibility and design work together, preventing obstacles from arising and ensuring smooth, immediate interaction. The inclusive approach widens the range of users without dividing them into categories: in Italy 24.7% of the population is aged 65 or over, the highest share in the European Union (data on ageing and disability in Europe). The economic effects of this choice are discussed in the article on the ROI of accessibility.

The process: from Co-Design to prototype

The process begins with people and what they do: gripping, cutting, leaning, reading a control. Co-Design brings them in at the start, while form, materials and interaction are still open. The empathy that grows from this becomes technical knowledge: where a grip slips, which height causes strain, which signal goes unnoticed. The Design for All process does not move through fixed, sequential phases: each prototype goes back to the people and changes the concept, until the dialogue becomes requirements, prototypes and tests. What we are looking for is not only form and function, but comfort and well-being: solutions people love to use.

Innovation in accessible design rests on a few key pillars:

Advanced, adaptive ergonomics: studying form and function to reduce fatigue and make products more efficient to use. The subject is explored in the article On ergonomics.
Multi-sensory usability: design solutions that make interaction natural and immediate for people with very different levels of skill.
Assistive technologies and smart materials: using state-of-the-art solutions to improve usability while keeping aesthetic and structural quality.

Solutions and everyday gestures

In the design work of Rodighiero.Design for All, accessibility is a founding principle. Through careful research into materials, ergonomics and interfaces, each product is developed to meet advanced usability criteria, combining aesthetics and function. The awards bear this out: Prime was selected for the ADI Design Index 2019; Flight received the iF Product Design Award 2011 and the Well Tech Award and was nominated for the German Design Award; Hackability received an Honourable Mention at the 26th ADI Compasso d’Oro.

Every project starts from a gesture that is difficult for someone and redesigns it for everyone. Prime, developed with Goman, is a countertop washbasin also suitable for people with disabilities, which complies with current regulations and respects people’s dignity. Demì is a chopping board designed for people who have full use of only one hand or one arm. Giotto is a collection of grab rails that takes its language from bathroom accessories, not from hospital equipment. Shade and Open rethink the fold-down grab rail as a piece of bathroom furniture. For BTicino’s Linea 5000, our contribution concerned the device’s user interface, with UX and UI analysis and design. Other solutions are collected in the Design for All case studies.

The questions to ask at the start

In our design approach, we constantly ask fundamental questions that every company should consider in order to develop truly inclusive products, starting with usability:

Will everyone be able to use the product?
What difficulties might people encounter?
Which conditions, permanent or temporary, might prevent its use?
How much more comfortable will it be for everyone if it is accessible and inclusive?
How can we build in accessibility without compromising the design?
Which technologies or materials can improve the experience for a wider range of people?

The economic questions (competitive advantage, brand value, market expansion, the balance between initial costs and benefits) are addressed, with data and sources, in the article on the ROI of accessibility and the business case for Design for All. To work through them for a specific product, we offer Design for All services and Design for All and Inclusive Design consultancy.

Reference standards and tools

The standard that bears the approach’s name is EN 17161:2019 (adopted in Italy as UNI EN 17161:2019): it describes how an organisation can extend the range of users of its products, goods and services by following a Design for All approach. It does not provide technical design specifications and is not a product certification: it concerns the process by which an organisation designs. The more general reference is ISO/IEC Guide 71:2014, the guide to addressing accessibility in standards. For products covered by the European Accessibility Act, such as terminals, computers and smartphones, obligations and deadlines are described in the article European Accessibility Act: what really changes for product design companies.

Towards a new paradigm in product design

Product design is moving towards an ever more refined integration of accessibility and inclusiveness. Innovating in this field is not only a matter of meeting regulatory and social requirements: it is a competitive strategy that can create added value for businesses and for society. Inclusive design is not simply a trend, but a genuine, radical transformation of design culture. The link between inclusive design and innovation is also documented by research: the study by Fuglerud and Sloan (Norsk Regnesentral, 2013) identifies its key elements.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Design for All and Inclusive Design in products?

According to the EIDD Stockholm Declaration (2004), Design for All is a process that involves people and starts from their diversity. Inclusive Design, which originated in the United Kingdom, designs mainstream products so that they can be used by as many people as reasonably possible, without special adaptation. In products, the two approaches converge.

What does EN 17161:2019 establish?

It describes how an organisation can extend the range of users of its products, goods and services by following a Design for All approach. It does not provide technical design specifications and is not a product certification: it concerns the process by which the organisation designs.

Where does the process for an inclusive product begin?

With people and their gestures: gripping, cutting, leaning, reading a control. Co-Design involves them while form, materials and interaction are still to be decided, and every prototype goes back to them to be tested.

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From gesture to product

An everyday object to rethink: we start from the gestures of the people who will use it and test it with them, prototype after prototype.

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