Shopping experience for all. Social inclusion through the multisensorial design of daily activities

The possibility to perform independently and comfortably all daily activities, including those related to recreation and free time such as shopping, is a critical precondition for pursuing inclusion. In this it is necessary to pay special attention to the needs of the so-called “limit users", i.e. that particular group of individuals who have the skills as the most "critical" to carry out an activity, and therefore experience it, in an autonomous way. In Design for All (DfA), an important phase of the design process includes the identification of the limit users. This work presents the results of an experience carried out as part of a graduation thesis breakthrough in the Department of Architecture of Pescara, whose intent was to facilitate the choice of an item of clothing during the shopping experience, starting from the needs of those who have the greatest difficulties, namely individuals with visual disabilities. Based on the approach of Design for All and on some concepts from the studies on synesthesia, and in relation to the complexity of the considered scenario (shopping experience) and to the needs expressed mainly by the visually impaired, the research project has developed a system of information/display elements, which enable "all" to the autonomous and conscious choice of an item of clothing. In particular, starting from the use of a specific analysis tool developed previously, it was possible to define a system of design guidelines to facilitate the free choice of the item of clothing by people with visual impairments. The contribution concludes with the presentation of a product concept, developed on the basis of the guidelines, referring to an integrated “clothes hanger - stand - label", characterized by specific morphological, sensorial, and technological features.