A collaboration between the Design Business Association (DBA) and the Helen Hamlyn Centre, the DBA Inclusive Design Challenge was initially launched as a creative response to the poor level of design of goods and services aimed at older and disabled people, a significant and growing market sector as the population ages.

Intended as a simple designer-friendly mechanism to inform design consulting firms and their industry clients about the inclusive design process, the DBA Inclusive Design Challenge showed how interaction with disabled people could be a direct route to mainstream product and service innovation.

The first Challenge proved so influential that the Helen Hamlyn Centre subsequently developed and extended the Challenge workshop model both in the UK and abroad. Over the past decade, Challenge Workshops have played a pivotal role in illustrating the ways design can enhance the quality of life for older and disabled people and all of us.

This yearʼs DBA Inclusive Design Challenge brief is entitled Active Ageing – designing for our future selves and looks at the challenges of our growing ageing population remaining active and productive in later life. For the third consecutive year, the Challenge being sponsored by leading UK care provider, Sanctuary Care.

The Challenge format itself is deceptively simple: DBA member consultancies from all design disciplines are invited to respond to a design challenge: to create a mainstream product, service, environment or communication, which can be enjoyed equally by consumers of all abilities. Innovation is the keyword and design-friendly knowledge transfer about the inclusive design process the aim.

Shortlisted teams work with the Helen Hamlyn Centre, to ensure that all aspects of inclusivity are considered, and visit Sanctuary Care’s homes and schemes across the country to meet the organisation’s residents for ideas and inspiration. The Helen Hamlyn Centre will continue to mentor the teams throughout the design process.

The aim is to develop innovative scenarios for a new generation of inclusive products, services, environments and communications – ones that meet the needs of the widest range of consumers. In short, inclusive design at the cutting edge of innovation.

The Challenge’s competitive yet participatory approach has set the standard for a new style of awards scheme. To date, it has resulted in 47 beacon projects in inclusive design, involving over 400 designers and been described by the BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones as the ‘combined Oscars and Olympics of the inclusive design world.’

The Challenge has also developed new and exciting iterations of differing lengths in different contexts internationally. Challenges are now taking place all over the world, with Sarajevo, Jerusalem, Tokyo and Hong Kong being just four of the cities that have recently played host to the Challenge.

In China, no word for inclusive design existed before the 48 Hour Challenge was held in Hong Kong, so the legacy is not just an on-going pan-Asian network for designers and end-users, but a new word – and therefore concept – that has entered the design lexicon there.

The 2010 DBA Inclusive Design Challenge was launched at the Royal College of Art on September 8, 2009, and the winning project will feature in an exclusive exhibition at the V&A held in April 2010 to celebrate 10 years of the Design Challenge.

Timeline:
8 September: Launch
21 September: Deadline for proposals
23 September: Announcement of shortlist
5 October: Workshop
21 January: Judging
4 March: Presentation evening at the Royal College of Art
April: Exhibition at the V&A

The challenge is a great way to inspire and motivate your team in a way that canʼt necessarily be achieved through commercial projects. If you or your organisation would like more information on the DBA Inclusive Design Challenge please contact Julia Cassim, Senior Research Fellow on +44 (0)20 7590 4242