Ability Prompt Cards Add/remove

Purpose:

There are three overall purposes when using the ability prompt cards:

  1. To identify abilities that might be affected by your design proposal.
  2. How does your design affect others – is it excluding or including?
  3. If it is excluding how can you then make them including.

Tips to include participants who are not able to:

See

If participants are unable to see, the ability prompt cards could be read out loud by a facilitator for each group (if present) or other group members. A bit more of time for the exercise could be allocated, as this might expand time use.

For the post-its, make sure to have a partner that can do the writing. The participants should though still explain their own ideas to not feel excluded.

Think

If participants have a hard time grasping the task, the facilitators could break down the method by starting a group discussion about the meaning of the ability card in question, possibly through a brainstorm. After this is done, the participants might be able to relate the ability to the concept proposal.

Move

If participants can't reach the cards to read them, the cards could be read out loud or placed in close proximity to the participants for them to read.

For the post-its, make sure to have a partner to spar with that can do the writing. This could be a helper, documenter, facilitator or other group members. The participants should though still explain their own input to not feel excluded.

Hold

If a participant is unable to hold a pen, make sure to have a partner to spar with that can do the writing. This could be a helper, documenter, facilitator or other group members. The participants should though still explain their own input to not feel excluded.

Speak

If participants are unable to speak, sign language or other symbol language could be used if an interpreter is present. If a translator is not present entire brainstorm and presentation can be done in writing form.

Drawing ones ideas to further enhance communication is also possible.

Hear

If participants are unable to speak, sign language or other symbol language could be used if an interpreter is present. If a translator is not present entire brainstorm and presentation can be done in writing form.

Focus

If the ability to focus is limited because of time crunch, shorten down the time spent on the exercise. If the ability is limited because of distractions, make sure facilitators keep a calm and attentive attitude, and prolong time for looking at the ability prompt cards and brainstorming.

Or, if you as a facilitator have been quick and analysed which ability cards that are maybe not accommodated by the participants solutions you could have chosen these ability cards prior to the method and only let them focus on those instead of all ability cards.

Belong

If some participant are not comfortable in their groups, try and switch up the groups. If a participant is uncomfortable it might hinder their creativity.

If the brainstorming is from the perspective of a persona that resembles a participant, don't let them be pointed out as that can make a person uncomfortable. Make sure the group is fairly diverse and representative.

Emote

If participants have a hard time relating to the disabilities on the Ability Prompt Cards, try to awake empathy through an initial larger group discussion to gain inspiration. Or add time for research on ability prompts in question. Be sensitive towards different needs and ensure a safe environment.

Touch

If a participant is unable to hold a pen, make sure to have a partner to spar with that can do the writing. This could be a helper, documenter, facilitator or other group members. The participants should though still explain their own input to not feel excluded.

Overview

Input

Concept proposals

Output

Evaluation on how inclusive/exclusive a concept proposal is.

Complexity

Moderate to complex

Time

10-30 min

Participants

2-15

Activity

Core abilities:

  • Needs to be capable of reflection upon the concept proposal
  • Needs to be capable of reflecting upon other examples of abilities given in the ability cards.
  • Needs to be capable of addressing what abilities the concept proposal does not live up to and create changes so that it does live up to different abilities (require complex thinking)

Step by step:

  1. Show the participants the ability cards and tell them that they consider both permanent, temporary and situational abilities.

  2. Divide the participants in groups of 2-3.

  3. The groups should go through the cards one by one and discuss if the concept proposal/ideas they have affects the abilities stated on the cards. Ask the groups to hold on to the cards that have abilities that are excluded in their design.

  4. Ask the groups to go through the ability cards that their design excluded and make them discuss/brainstorm how to make the concept proposal more inclusive. Write changes to the solution on post-its – one post-it pr change.

  5. Ask the participants to present their findings and new changes to their concept proposal.

When doing this method you should consider:

It is preferred that the groups of participants are formed based on the solution they have worked on. Do not switch up the groups if the different groups have worked with different solutions. It is a good idea to have the participants know the concept proposal really well before introducing the ability prompt cards.

More time might be needed if the concept proposals are complex and/or if it turns out that many changes have to be made in their designs.

If there is time it could be an idea to make the participants brainstorm about each ability card to let them expand their horizon of the ability before they compare their solution to the cards. This could open up their minds ensuring that they not only focus on the examples given on the ability cards but thinks beyond that. The examples on the ability cards are just examples, there are many more examples of each ability.

How the participants should brainstorm in this method is not specified but it would be preferred that you as a facilitator have determined a brainstorm method beforehand. You can either use brainstorming, brainwalking, negative brainstorming.

Materials needed:

A set of Ability Prompt Cards for each group
Pens
Post-its