At Tilting the Lens, we’re driven by a singular, powerful question: “Is this accessible?” But what does true accessibility look like and how do we design for it? Often, the route to a solution uses the frameworks of “Universal Design” or “Inclusive Design”. While these approaches offer valuable starting points, at Tilting the Lens we have developed a practice that merges them with the benefits of Human-Centred Design and Co-Design to offer a more impactful and transformative path. One that aligns with our mission to create a more equitable world.

What is Universal Design?

The Seven Principles of Universal Design were developed at North Carolina State University. The principles create a matrix for products and services to be designed to have greater flexibility and equity in use. Inclusive Design similarly exists on the premise of “design for one and extend to many”, often looking at the lived experiences of those on the margins to create innovation for the majority. Today, Universal Design has extended to Universal Design for Learning, and is the framework by which the European Accessibility Act is assessed. 

Both Universal Design and Inclusive Design aim to create mainstream products and services that are accessible to as many people as reasonably possible without special adaptation. This is undoubtedly a positive goal, especially for built environments and websites where the target population is generally the whole population. However, our work with clients, particularly in product and built environment design, has revealed inherent limitations with this aim.

Compliance is only the beginning

Universal Design, often referred to in Ireland and elsewhere as “Design for All”, pragmatically accepts that a single product may not always serve everyone. Inclusive Design, meanwhile focuses on choosing a target market and maximising “product performance indicators” for that group. While all three methodologies aspire to broaden the reach of mainstream products, they often begin with a framework of compliance – a baseline that, while necessary, is rarely sufficient or innovative.

As a majority-Disabled team at Tilting the Lens, we live the reality that compliance is local, not global, and so often what is compliant where we reside sets a minimum standard that continues to exclude many. Structuring ambitions solely around compliance stifles innovation and perpetuates a culture of engagement “because we must”, rather than “because we want to”, or “because we understand the value, be it environmental, economic or social, in doing so”.

What is Human-Centred Design?

This is where the processes of Human-Centred Design truly shine. Instead of aiming for broad accessibility or focusing on a pre-defined target, Human-Centred Design is a methodology that prioritises the needs, behaviours, and experiences of users. It solves for those needs while understanding that there might be value or reduced friction for those who are in the majority, design is not only valid if it serves the masses. In the work that we do at Tilting the Lens, we centre the Disabled community, particularly from multiply-marginalised or intersectional identities, as they are the most excluded in a workforce, a customer base, or public space users. 

Engaging in a research period and co-design process with the Disabled community brings about deep understanding of user needs. Insights are gained through direct engagement, building trust, and fostering psychological safety and empathy by talking directly with the people for whom the product, service, or system is being designed.

The benefits of Human-Centred Design

The key benefits of a Human-Centred Design approach, over Universal or Inclusive Design, lie in its iterative, empathetic, and co-creative nature.

  • Move beyond “for” to “with”: While Universal and Inclusive Design often design for diverse perspectives and needs, Human-Centred Design actively designs with the people who experience them. This is a fundamental part of the Tilting the Lens process: centering Disabled people, particularly those from multiply-marginalised communities, within our methodology. Their lived experience is not just considered; it is valued as expertise.
  • Granular understanding and root cause resolution: Human-Centred Design examines the granular understanding of user requirements, needs, and challenges, and identifies the cause of issues that negatively affect experience. This goes beyond simply meeting a standard – it seeks to resolve real problems.
  • Iterative innovation, not static compliance: We push back against the assumption that solutions can be “fully accessible” for everyone. Instead, we embrace constant iteration and progress. Designing flexible, equitable, and multi-modal solutions that provide agency and clarity, allows people to adapt products and services to their specific requirements. There is no ideal or perfect solution that works for everyone, but there is continuous improvement to reduce friction and feelings of exclusion and provide choice
  • Drives desirable, viable, and feasible solutions: By engaging directly with the community, we ensure that solutions are not only desirable (do they meet needs?), but also viable (do they make economic sense?) and feasible (is it technically possible?). This holistic approach leads to more effective and sustainable outcomes.
  • From legal requirement to innovation opportunity: A co-design approach allows us to evolve accessibility from a requirement to a fundamental lever for a more equitable organisation and society. It aligns with broader business goals to ideate, scale, expand, and hire the best talent, moving organisations from mere compliance to safety, creativity and belonging.
  • Valuing lived experience: At Tilting the Lens we centre non-oppressive and intersectional research practices in our work. Research and co-design can replicate power imbalances and be extractionary by nature, so we take deliberate steps to ensure our research and co-design is paid, respectful, and community led. We are proud of the collaborative relationship we have with people who choose to join our research database.
  • Feedback loops build strength in process: Providing quality feedback to stakeholders and participants and getting feedback on their experiences and needs is vital to centre collaboration and power-sharing, to shape processes, ensure transparency and accountability, and help turn insights into action.

The future of accessibility

At Tilting the Lens, we use Universal Design and Inclusive Design as valuable starting points. However, our true impact comes from integrating them with a process of Human-Centred and Co-Design principles. This framework we use builds trust, leads with empathy, and co-designs solutions directly with the people who will use them.

Over 1.1 million people in the recent Census (2022) in Ireland identified with at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty, accounting for 22% of the population. In the UK, 16 million people identify as Disabled. Germany reports that 7.8 million people are ‘severely’ Disabled, and 8.5% of the Spanish population have a disability. This shows the mandate for truly accessible design is urgent. 

Human-Centred Design and Co-Design are not just methodologies; they are a philosophy that empowers us to create impact and legacy memory where every design decision is an intentional act of inclusion. 

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