The Inclusive Design Toolkit and Sustainable Design Toolkit

Development Process

Inclusive and sustainable design are integral components of contemporary design education. To support both educators and students in embedding these values into their creative practice, we set out to develop a teaching toolkit for inclusive and sustainable design.

The Inclusive Design Toolkit was developed using the Fixperts framework, a hands-on, human-centered approach where students collaborate with real people to address everyday challenges. This method fosters empathy, creativity, and social responsibility, shaping the toolkit’s participatory and story-driven nature.

The Sustainable Design Toolkit focused on creating a clear, engaging structure for educators and students. After research and collaboration, it was organized around three themes—Economical, Environmental, and Social—with color-coded categories and classroom-friendly strategy cards forming its first prototype.

At the heart of our development process was a user-centred and participatory approach. We actively involved academics and students from Brunel University London in evaluating the early prototypes. Through workshops and co-design sessions, we collected valuable feedback that directly informed the toolkit’s content, structure, and usability.

We were delighted to showcase the first prototype of the toolkit at the Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access and Assistive Technology (CWUAAT). The event provided us with extensive feedback from the academic and professional community, sparking meaningful discussions around the teaching of inclusive and sustainable design. These insights became instrumental in guiding the next phase of iteration.

In the subsequent development phase, both the Inclusive Design and Sustainable Design Toolkits were further refined — in terms of content, structure, and scope — leading to the formation of the comprehensive toolkit we have today.

The inclusive design toolkit

Cards

This card set is inspired by the Fixperts framework and aims to support communication and learning between students and their Fix Partners. Drawing on the principles of the Double Diamond model, the cards are organised into four key phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. Each phase represents a distinct stage in the inclusive design process and encourages learners to think critically and collaboratively as they design with and for others.

Each card is colour-coded and marked with icons to indicate its corresponding phase, along with a step number to help users navigate the process.

The front side of the card introduces the step name and provides a visual cue or image to support understanding.
The reverse side offers tips, considerations, and activities designed to help students apply inclusive design principles and progress effectively through the process.

Together, the cards form a learning journey that takes students from discovering real-world needs to delivering meaningful, human-centred design outcomes.

Discover
1. Fix Partner
2. Partner Card
3. Ethics
4. Co-Define

Define
5. Research
6. Ideation
7. Researcher
8. Designer

Develop
9. Co-Develop
10. Make it Real

Deliver
11. Film Maker
12. Solve for One, Extend to Many
13. Share and Have Fun

This inclusive design card set supports educators and students in embedding empathy, collaboration, and creativity into their design practice. It highlights how design for one person can extend to many — embodying the essence of inclusive and socially responsive design.

Applications in Teaching

The Inclusive Design Toolkit can be flexibly integrated into various stages of design education.
It supports experiential, human-centred learning and encourages collaboration between students and real users.

1. Concept Introduction
Tutors can use the cards to introduce each design stage and key principles of inclusive thinking.
Selected cards can be displayed or discussed to demonstrate how empathy, ethics, and iteration shape the design process.

2. Co-Design Workshops
Students work in small groups with a Fix Partner to explore real-world problems.
Using the cards as prompts, they follow the Discover–Define–Develop–Deliver framework to identify, analyse, and co-create solutions.

3. Design Challenges
In studio-based sessions, students apply the toolkit to develop inclusive products or services.
Cards guide reflection at each step—from initial research and ideation to prototyping and communication—helping learners link design actions to human impact.

4. Reflection and Sharing
The final cards encourage students to document, communicate, and share their process.
By recording and presenting their projects, students strengthen critical awareness and confidence in designing for inclusion.

The sustainable design toolkit

The Sustainable Design Toolkit currently consists of twelve strategy cards and two canvases, designed to support educators and students in exploring sustainability and inclusivity through practical and engaging classroom activities.

Cards

The cards are divided into three categories — Economical (Orange), Environmental (Green), and Social (Blue) — representing the three pillars of sustainable design.
Each card introduces a key Strategy related to inclusive or sustainable design and is individually numbered for easy reference.

On the front side, each card presents the strategy through a short description and an illustrative design case, accompanied by four circular icons — S (Sourcing), M (Manufacturing), U (Use), and PU (Post-Use) — that represent the product lifecycle stages. Highlighted circles indicate the stages where the strategy is most applicable.

The reverse side provides further details about the case study:

What the project or product is,
Why it was selected to illustrate the strategy,
How it embodies the design principle featured on the card.

Together, the cards allow users to quickly understand the essence of each strategy, its relevance across different lifecycle stages, and its practical implications through real-world examples.

Canvases

To encourage more interactive and reflective learning, the toolkit also includes two supporting canvases — designed to integrate the cards into classroom teaching, workshops, and project development processes.

Canvas 1: 3D Sustainability Lens Canvas

This canvas helps users evaluate the sustainability performance of a product throughout its lifecycle — from sourcing and manufacturing to use and post-use.
It invites users to map their observations and ideas across the three sustainability dimensions — Environmental, Social, and Economical — against each lifecycle stage.

What it does

Helps identify sustainability gaps, design opportunities, and trade-offs across the full product journey.

How to use it

Place the cards on the grid according to their category (colour) and lifecycle stage.
For cards relevant to multiple stages, note their numbers on sticky notes and place them in each applicable box.
Use the canvas collaboratively to discuss how your product impacts the environment, society, and economy at every stage.

Canvas 2: Priority Onion Diagram

The Priority Onion Diagram helps teams prioritise sustainability principles that are most relevant to their design challenge.
Users or group members position cards within three concentric rings — Critical, Supporting, and Contextual — depending on how central each principle is to their project goals.

What it does

Encourages teams to clarify and communicate which sustainability principles are essential to their project.
Supports structured discussions and justifications during concept development and presentations.

How to use it

Inner ring: Place the most critical principles.
Middle ring: Supporting principles.
Outer ring: Contextual or peripheral considerations.
Discuss your choices with peers or stakeholders.

Applications in Teaching

To support flexible integration into different teaching contexts, the Sustainable Design Toolkit can be applied in three main ways.

1. Concept Introduction and Discussion
Tutors can introduce the cards to explain key sustainability strategies and case studies.
Cards can be selected according to course focus—for instance, Economical cards for business-related modules, or cards marked with “S” when exploring sourcing-stage strategies.
Through guided discussions, students gain a clear overview of sustainable design approaches and their relevance across the product lifecycle.

2. Analysing and Improving Existing Products
Working in small groups, students use the 3D Sustainability Lens Canvas to assess how sustainable principles have been embedded in an existing product.
They identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities for improvement using the cards as analytical prompts.
Each team presents its findings, encouraging critical reflection and a deeper understanding of sustainability in real-world design.

3. Addressing a Design Challenge
Students apply the cards in group projects responding to specific design briefs (e.g., designing a sustainable hairdryer).
Using the Priority Onion Diagram, they determine which principles are most relevant to their challenge and refine their ideas through the 3D Sustainability Lens Canvas.
Each group develops several concept sketches, illustrating how sustainability strategies inform design decisions and outcomes.

Ongoing Development and Open Collaboration

The toolkit is an evolving, open-source project. While the current version offers a strong foundation, there remains much to expand and refine — from additional cards and examples to new methods of classroom integration.

We warmly invite educators, researchers, and students to contribute to its continued development.
If you have ideas, feedback, or teaching experiences to share, please reach out to us via the contact form on this website.
Together, we can make inclusive and sustainable design education more accessible, engaging, and impactful.