What role can inclusive design play in dementia care?

Inclusive design puts the spotlight on vulnerable populations and takes a holistic approach to their lives and needs, going beyond just medical concerns, says designer and educator Prof. Mugendi K. M’Rithaa.

“Inclusive design is a quest by the design community to embrace human diversity to the greatest extent possible,” says Prof. Mugendi K. M’Rithaa, a designer, educator, and researcher at Machakos University in Kenya, and a judge for the Longitude Prize on Dementia. 

This type of design has different monikers around the world (‘inclusive design’, ‘universal design’, ‘design for all’), but all are underpinned by a “philosophical quest to be more inclusive,” explains Mugendi. This means embracing vulnerable groups “typically left out by designers” – women, people with disabilities, the elderly, LGBTQ+ people, and children, among others. “The idea is to be economical in the design offerings and to cover as many people as possible in that one design solution.”  

Heart of the matter 

At its core, inclusive design is about being human-centred – a guiding principle of the Longitude Prize on Dementia and its focus on co-creation in partnership with people living with dementia. Rather than “designing a solution and then trying to force people into these contexts” – as traditional design can do – inclusive design focuses on “fitting the product or the job or the environment to the person,” says Mugendi. 

This involves stepping back to think broadly and empathetically about people’s lives, “deep needs,” and aspirations – psychosocial, financial, and so on – and how a solution might work for them. “Human-centred design tries to be more holistic in its appreciation of humanity,” Mugendi explains. “A medical [approach] tends to institutionalise individuals and medicalise the solutions, but a social model says that we must embrace the persons we are designing for within the context of society.”

Human-centred design often involves ‘design thinking’ – a fluid, iterative process that foregrounds empathy, asking questions, and observing human behaviour, rather than the more linear, analytical approach of traditional design. This fluid, open-minded approach is the lifeblood of the Longitude Prize on Dementia. Throughout, we have encouraged innovators to meet, listen to, and work in partnership with people with lived experience of dementia, and are supported throughout by our Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP). In this way, ‘experts by experience’ shape and refine the innovations, turbocharging their chance of success. 

Thinking across disciplines 

Inclusive design also hinges on bringing people from diverse disciplines together to find solutions, says Mugendi. Take people living with dementia: “To resolve their challenges, you bring in biomedical engineers, psychologists, social workers, medical practitioners – be they doctors, physiotherapists, nurses – you bring in the caregivers themselves […], as well as the designers.” 

“Each discipline has a unique lens, and when you discuss it together, you start to identify potential solutions,” Mugendi explains. Many solutions are “way beyond the boundaries of the traditional disciplines” – so transdisciplinary teams are essential. 

This approach also guides the Longitude Prize on Dementia: teams competing in the challenge prize combine experience in design, technology, neuroscience, engineering, psychology, computer sciences, and more, to devise pioneering transdisciplinary solutions.   

New frontiers in dementia care 

Artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things, and information and communication technologies (ICTs) are a particularly exciting frontier in inclusive design for dementia, says Mugendi – bringing “possibilities that we did not have 20 years’ back.” The Longitude Prize on Dementia believes passionately that supporting technology-based innovations, customisable to an individual’s needs and environment, opens unparalleled opportunities for independent living and dignity.

And, whereas many innovations around the world today “rarely see the light of day because of the high costs of developing proof of concept,” Mugendi is “excited” and optimistic about the Longitude Prize cohort. The inclusive approach and emphasis on co-creation, alongside phased funding and multidisciplinary support, will help ensure innovations are relevant, sustainable, and reach the communities that need them. 

Befriending technology, tackling stigma 

Inclusive design can also help counter fears around technology. Many people resist integrating innovations into their lives – particularly when feeling overwhelmed by a life-changing dementia diagnosis – or have “dystopian imagery” about AI, Mugendi says. Allaying their fears and humanising technology is vital: “There’s a process of orientation and familiarity that needs to happen. There’s an element of trust – trust and empathy [are] critical.” These are key criteria for the Longitude Prize too: innovations must be user-friendly, customisable, and adapt to an individual’s changing needs. 

This inclusive design approach can shift attitudes towards people with disabilities, who often face stigma and discrimination in many countries, Mugendi says. In many countries, the language around disability – even in government circles – is frequently politically incorrect and stigmatising, indicating “a fundamental ethos that needs to change.” As an “unofficial ambassador” for inclusive design, Mugendi hopes to change attitudes to disability and encourage students to “think outside of their comfort zones, seeing the possibilities beyond them.”

Leapfrogging barriers 

In contexts where resources are limited and infrastructure is deficient, making innovations for dementia accessible and inclusive remains a challenge. The Longitude Prize stresses that innovations must be accessible and affordable to people from a spectrum of social backgrounds and contexts – and candidates will be judged on this criteria. Mugendi is hopeful this focus on accessibility will “genuinely help people” in lower-income regions “leapfrog” infrastructure and resource barriers, giving them access to “twenty-first-century solutions” to global health challenges.