Human-Centred Design Workshop at Fraunhofer IPA

Jana-Sophie Effert was invited from our research group to lead a workshop on human-centred design at Fraunhofer IPA. The workshop focused on usability, usage context analysis, and the design and development of questionnaires; in short, how to ensure that human needs are continuously taken into account during the development process.

Particularly in the development of exoskeletons and other assistive technologies, it is crucial to systematically analyse usage contexts and incorporate diverse perspectives. Different physical conditions, working environments and individual needs must be taken into account at an early stage to enable participation and avoid exclusion.

We were now able to share this perspective with the researchers at Fraunhofer IPA to complement their engineering perspective.

In this context, inclusion means more than just accessibility: it is about designing products in such a way that they are conceived from the outset with as diverse a range of users as possible in mind. Methodologically sound user analysis and carefully developed questionnaires are key tools for this. They help to highlight requirements, identify barriers and develop design solutions for as diverse a target group as possible.

The workshop has once again made it clear: good usability and genuine inclusion begin with asking the right questions and actively incorporating different perspectives.