Supporting ASOS to co-create a more accessible shopping experience

The challenges

ASOS is well known for its commitment to providing more inclusive options and better representation of diverse communities. ASOS designs clothing to fit a range of body types, including plus size, tall, petite, and maternity, as well as specific styles like modest fashion. The company is committed to creating fashionable solutions that everyone can enjoy. 

However, Disabled people and those with clothing access needs had not yet been part of this work — representing a clear opportunity for ASOS to build on its inclusive design strategy. As an online business, ASOS also has to ensure that the website offers an accessible experience for current and future customers. During the early stages of this project, we identified various market and contextual challenges that affect not only ASOS as a business, but also the fashion industry as a whole. These included:

• Lack of representation: Disabled people are rarely included in the fashion industry as a whole. From Fashion Weeks to campaigns, product imagery, or design, the inclusion of Disabled people is often niche rather than essential. This contributes to negative perceptions within the Disabled community, making individuals feel unseen and underrepresented.
• Lack of awareness: adaptive fashion is usually marketed by retailers through clinical or medical framing rather than offering trends and aesthetics. This approach makes the concept of “adaptive fashion” unfamiliar to some members of the Disabled community.
• Cost and production: adaptive clothing often requires specialised materials, new patterns, alternative design proportions, and additional testing, all of which increase production costs. Furthermore, retailers entering the adaptive sector for the first time may introduce products in smaller production volumes, limiting economies of scale, impacting affordability, and reducing the availability of adaptive options in the market.
• Disability tax: as a result of higher production costs, adaptive products are often sold at higher prices, making adaptive fashion economically inaccessible for many.
• Understanding the Disabled customer: the fashion industry has not consistently invested in understanding the specific needs of Disabled people. This expands from assumptions that this market is not economically viable, as well as broader societal ableism and a failure to value Disabled individuals. Regardless of the rationale, this lack of understanding frequently results in products that fail to meet community needs.
• Retail accessibility barriers: adaptive clothing is rarely available in physical mainstream stores, making it difficult for consumers to gauge fit and sizing. Online, e-commerce platforms are often not WCAG compliant, complicating navigation for customers who rely on assistive technology. Even when digital platforms meet WCAG compliance, incomplete product descriptions, insufficient imagery, and poor filtering options can lead to higher return rates.

Context considerations for ASOS

Alongside these broader industry challenges, delivering this project within ASOS required navigating several organisation-specific considerations.

• Cross-departmental strategy: as ASOS expanded their adaptive and accessibility goals beyond product, a cohesive working strategy was required to ensure everyone involved and collaborating departments were supported and aligned.
• Timeline and budget: ASOS is a fashion business with specific annual targets. Given these business requirements, we had to adjust to a specific timeline and budget to ensure that we provided accessible solutions while adapting to the organisational context.
• Limited market guidance or standards: during the two years this work has been developed, excellent adaptive solutions have entered the market. However, when this strategy began, there were few market benchmarks or industry standards for ASOS to learn from. 

The approach

The scope of this project expanded over two years. The primary objective was to address genuine community needs, avoiding assumptions, and ensuring ASOS did not move straight into design without a clear understanding of what Disabled people require from the end-to-end fashion experience. Disabled participation was actively embedded across all stages of the strategy, ensuring that solutions were directly informed by community insights, and shaped by a shared set of co-design principles.

All co-design engagements guaranteed:

• Financial recognition of lived experience: all co-design activities were financially compensated. Insights shared by Disabled co-design participants were valued as intellectual property and remunerated accordingly. 
• Accessibility as a baseline: every project prioritised accessibility from the start. This included providing alternative formats, covering travel costs if required, and implementing in-person accessibility accommodations to ensure every participant was set up for success.
• Continuous feedback loops: the project embedded an ongoing feedback process. This ranged from sharing initial white paper findings and off-the-record previews with participants to conducting post-engagement surveys that validated results and ensured access and remuneration remained fair and adequate.
• Intersectionality: across every engagement, we intentionally selected co-design participants to be as representative of the Disabled community as possible. By considering ethnicity, gender, body size, social background, disability, and age, we ensured our insights reflected intersectional perspectives.

These principles shaped every stage of delivery, which spanned 4 phases — research, prioritisation, co-design, and a review of the e-commerce experience.

Phase 1. The research

To centre ASOS’s strategy on disability lived experiences, we designed mixed-methods research combining global surveys, and in-depth focus groups.

• The objective: the primary objective was to identify key challenges across the customer journey, specifically regarding fit, comfort, digital accessibility, style, and retail experience.
• The sample: to align with ASOS’s international focus, we ensured global participant representation with diverse intersecting identities, encompassing various disability types, ages, genders, races, and professions.
• Key disabilities: represented disabilities included neurodivergence, physical disabilities, acquired disabilities, neurological conditions, chronic illnesses, and users of wearable medical devices.
• Research accessibility: accessibility was built into the methodology from the outset. This included plain-language survey options, 1:1 assistance, digital accessibility standards, alternative formats, and an empathetic participant engagement and more. 

The survey

At the end of 2024, we conducted a survey to identify the key topics that would be validated and expanded upon during the follow-up focus group sessions. The survey included 102 participants and comprised open-ended questions and multiple-choice options, covering 9 key categories:

1. Demographic and disability related information,
2. Clothing preferences and barriers,
3. Challenges and experience with adaptive clothing,
4. Dressing habits and accommodations,
5. Shopping patterns and motivations,
6. Steps, challenges, and preferences when shopping online,
7. Specific insights regarding ordering, delivery, and returns, 
8. Perceptions towards client care teams,
9. Emotion and attitudes towards the fashion system. 

As a result of the survey, we were able to identify patterns across the 9 key categories that allowed us to start scoping some of the validation questions as well as to identify some gaps that might require further research either during the focus group sessions or additional specific research.

Focus groups

Following an initial thematic and statistical analysis of the survey responses, we conducted four online sessions with a total of 22 participants. These sessions explored three key topics:

1. Design challenges and solutions, 
2. Alternative solutions,
3. The ideal clothing experience.

Key findings

As a result of the survey and focus group sessions, some key opportunities emerged. These included: 

• The approach: solutions co-created with the Disabled community and decision-making processes guided by Disabled experts were consistently highlighted as essential. Strategies that invested in long-term solutions were central to positive community sentiment.
• Shopping experience: digital accessibility and WCAG compliance were identified as baseline requirements. Further needs included detailed product descriptions (such as fabric composition, precise sizing, closure types, and clear usage instructions), clear imagery, specific filter attributes, and accessible, empathetic customer care support.
• Marketing and representation: Disabled individuals want authentic representation that reflects their identity. Participants urged for marketing campaigns that genuinely portray community diversity, called for representation in influencer marketing, and expressed a desire to see Disabled models cast in product imagery.
• Functionality vs trends: Disabled customers want accessible, fashionable, and functional clothing at affordable price points. A significant gap was identified for garments that balance accessibility features with aesthetics and current trends.
• Product category: while basic items and loungewear are available, customers struggle to find occasion-specific clothing. Key market gaps included occasionwear and formal attire. 

Phase 2. The prioritisation process

Following the research, we established a prioritisation process to translate community insights and market gaps into a clear, actionable roadmap tailored specifically to ASOS’s operational context. We converted research findings into concrete deliverables, enabling ASOS to define strategic priorities and set up dedicated, cross-departmental working groups to execute each identified deliverable within the strategy. 

Phase 3. The adaptive range co-design process

Next ASOS decided to focus its adaptive product strategy on occasionwear and formal attire, a category where Disabled customers have historically been significantly underserved. Leveraging its market leadership in trend-led fashion, ASOS recognised a market opportunity to expand choice and accessibility in this space with an ASOS Adaptive collection.

To define the specific adaptive features, operability, materials, patterns, fit, and garment finishes, Tilting the Lens facilitated a co-design initiative bringing together the ASOS design team and Disabled participants.

Upskilling the design team

Essential to any co-design exercise is ensuring that all parties are properly prepared and set up for success. To equip the design team with the knowledge required to collaborate effectively with Disabled participants, we hosted two in-person training sessions. We also provided follow-up educational materials to ensure key learnings were retained for future reference. The core learning objectives for these sessions were:

• Adaptive fashion and adaptive features knowledge: while some team members had prior experience of adaptive design, we established a foundational baseline for the entire group. We covered essential adaptive definitions, features, and functionalities, complemented by practical sessions to apply the learning.
• Co-design principles: to ensure equal representation, we delivered key training on collaborative practices. This focused on how to effectively balance, integrate, and translate all co-design participant perspectives into the final design process.
• Essentials of collaborating with the Disabled community: to ensure seamless, accessible, and considerate engagements, we conducted accessibility and disability inclusion training. This equipped design team facilitators to foster psychological safety, maintain an empathetic approach, and prioritise accessibility at every step of the co-design sessions. 

Accessibility and community representation

Where possible, co-design sessions were adapted to a hybrid format, offering both in-person and online participation. Ahead of in-person sessions, an accessibility audit of key ASOS co-design spaces was conducted to ensure all required access needs were met. Introductory calls with the Tilting the Lens team were held prior to each session to establish psychological safety and to brief participants on expectations and logistics. Following each co-design session, a questionnaire was shared with all participants to validate initial design insights, ensure accessibility arrangements were effective for future iterations, and confirm fair compensation.

There was community representation across all sessions, the participant selection process ensured broad sizing representation where possible. Likewise, a diverse range of disabilities and broader intersectional characteristics were prioritised for every session. Throughout the three sessions that we facilitated, a total of 28 different participants were involved. 

Co-design process timeline

• Concept co-design session: in May 2025, we conducted both in-person and remote engagements. These sessions enabled participants to evaluate existing ASOS garments and identify potential functional enhancements. Rather than adapting existing lines directly, the goal was to establish clear, informed design guidelines for bespoke adaptive development, focusing on garment shape, seam placement, fabric composition, closure mechanisms, compatibility with wearable medical devices, independent dressing, and seated fit.
• Prototype co-design session: following the May session, the ASOS design team identified suppliers, prioritised trends, and sketched the initial adaptive collection based on participant feedback. These sketches were carefully evaluated against participant design recommendations to create the first prototypes for the range. To ensure the initial outcomes reflected community needs, a second in-person co-design session was facilitated in January 2026. This session enabled participants to review early prototypes and allowed the design team to refine fit, silhouettes, and adaptive feature specifications, including opening dimensions, locations, materials, and operability systems.
• Sample co-design session: following the first two co-design iterations, a final sample validation session was held in April 2026. This session focused on garments that underwent the most significant design changes based on earlier feedback, ensuring they remained aligned with community needs.

Co-design outcome

As a result of this process, 51 options across womenswear, menswear, and curve, were designed specifically focused on formal and occasion wear.

The key functionalities targeted across the collection include:

• Seated posture compatible features: design decisions and adaptive elements developed to ensure independent dressing, appropriate fit, and comfort for wheelchair users and individuals who spend extended periods seated.
• Sensory-friendly designs: fabric choices, textile technology, and garment finishes that help manage sensory overstimulation while providing added comfort.
• Easy on/off garments: adaptive features and closure mechanisms specifically tailored to foster greater dressing independence, reduce fatigue, and assist with pain management.
• Compatibility with wearable medical devices: key features that grant discreet, easy access and enhanced comfort for individuals using wearable medical devices.

Adaptive details across the range include reinforced openings for medical devices such as feeding tubes, concealed pockets designed for easy and discreet access, hidden zips, magnetic fastenings designed to look like functional buttons, adjustable sleeves and wider openings intended to support easier dressing. Softer linings and carefully finished seams help improve comfort without compromising on style.

Phase 4. The e-commerce experience review

During the research phase, several shopping barriers were identified beyond adaptive product requirements. Key stages of the online shopping journey presented essential opportunities to deliver a more accessible and equal experience for all customers. 

Online shopping experience

To keep Disabled perspectives central to all strategic deliverables, we reviewed the initial feedback gathered regarding product discovery and purchasing decisions. This review highlighted key focus areas for enhancing product descriptions, product imagery, categorisation, and filtering attributes. These core themes were subsequently validated across three focus group sessions involving 18 participants.

Building on these insights, we developed comprehensive checklists and standards for relevant ASOS teams to improve the information provided in product imagery, descriptions, and filtering attributes. The objective of these checklists was to foster a clearer understanding of products, thereby increasing customer confidence and accessibility during the decision-making process.

As a result of this standardisation process, ASOS ADAPTIVE provides customers with comprehensive and informative product descriptions as well as useful imagery, enabling better assessment of access compatibility and facilitating a seamless decision-making process.

Customer Care

The initial research highlighted the need for investigation into accessible customer care opportunities. To develop a thorough understanding of potential solutions, we facilitated a targeted series of focus groups with 21 participants. These insights are currently guiding the ASOS Customer Care team as they develop and refine more accessible support solutions.

As part of this ongoing process, ASOS has added tailored responses to its chat box function relating to the ASOS ADAPTIVE range. This ensures that customers looking to purchase items from this range have access to the necessary support to understand the different adaptive features included and the process behind the range’s creation.

Additionally, tailored training was delivered to key customer escalation advisors to build awareness of accessibility and disability inclusion, alongside practical solutions for customer care. 

Marketing and representation

Early research highlighted a clear need for authentic, inclusive representation of the Disabled Community. To support ASOS on this journey, we acted as strategic advisors, helping shape the communication strategy for the adaptive range.

In addition, we delivered training to key creative and production teams (including styling, photography, production, and copywriting) to ensure that:

• Adaptive campaign imagery respectfully represented the Disabled Community.
• Intentional accessibility was provided during photo shoots, ensuring all Disabled models were set up for success.
• Specific accessibility features and angles were considered when producing e-commerce product imagery.
• On-set disability etiquette was understood by all staff involved in campaign shoots.

Outcomes and impact

There have been a number of positive outcomes from this project:

• Launch of ASOS ADAPTIVE: ASOS has successfully launched the first adaptive collection featuring 51 options across womenswear, menswear, and curve, specifically focused on formal and occasion wear.
• Filled a market gap: we’ve supported ASOS in identifying a gap in the market and provided the Disabled Community with the opportunity to purchase products that had not yet been explored by any other retailer. This gave them the option of dressing for special occasions in a way that was both accessible and aesthetically pleasing.
• Inclusive co-design model: we’ve modelled a fully compensated, accessible, and intersectional co-design project, setting a benchmark for community engagement in retail and product development. Across the two years, we engaged almost 150 different individuals.
• Organisation-wide standards and workflows: the deliverables provided, alongside the knowledge gained across all participating departments, have established internal standards for a more accessible shopping experience and tailored approaches to guide future adaptive range launches.
• Organisational upskilling: we’ve delivered targeted training across ASOS design, customer care, and studio teams to enhance accessibility awareness and practices.