Include 2001

an international conference on inclusive design and communications
18-20 April 2001
at the Royal College of Art, London, UK

Organised by the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre (HHRC) at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in collaboration with the Contemporary Trends Institute (CTI), Include 2001 was a remarkable gathering of people actively developing the theory and practice of inclusive (universal) design and communications. It is expected to have a lasting influence on mainstream product and service development and communications.

Full details about the conference, including abstracts of every paper presented, can be found in the conference book (2MB, Adobe PDF 4.0 format)

Why inclusive design?
Inclusive design describes a process whereby designers and manufacturers ensure that their products and services address the needs of the widest possible audience.

Many companies are concerned about the possible impact of ageing populations and of anti-discrimination disability legislation on business profitability. Unfortunately the tendency is to anticipate problems and increased costs but not windows of opportunity.

The challenge is to think in terms of new product and service developments which meet the needs and aspirations of a wider, more inclusive marketplace and thus make good commercial sense.

Keynote Speakers
Keynote presentations were given by Alessandro Coda, Director of the Autonomy project, Fiat Group; Sue O'Neill, B&Q; Bruce Nussbaum, Editorial Page Editor, Business Week; Innes Ferguson, Transport for London; Melanie Howard, The Future Foundation; Adrian Berry, Factory Design; Nick Dormon, Coley Porter Bell/The Henley Centre; Professor Alan Newell, University of Dundee; Professor Peter Lansley, University of Reading; Jeremy Myerson, Helen Hamlyn Research Centre. See full details...

Roger Coleman of the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre chaired the Business Stream breakfast briefings; Professor Bill Green, University of Canberra (Australia) and Professor Alastair Macdonald, Glasgow School of Art chaired the Research Stream activities.

Who attended?
Key researchers and academics, design educators, media representatives, product, service and communication designers, business leaders and managers, and selected post-graduate students took part. A full list of delegates is available in the conference book, and a list of participating institutions is available online

Include 2001 Timeline Workshop & Debate - 1951-2021
Planning for Our Future Selves: lessons from the past, removing obstacles, and steps to the future. Delegates joined the conference organisers in creating an illustrated Timeline which charts the history of inclusive design, identifies current obstacles in business, design, research etc and speculates on future product or service opportunities. This interactive event was run as a core strand throughout the conference led by renowned designer Prof Patricia Moore and trend forecaster Dr Patrick Jordan.