The representation of people as a means to facilitate diversity and inclusion within interiors education

Visual depictions of designed/proposed spaces communicate their intended qualities, use, and users, but visualizations that fail to include a fair representation of the people for whom the spaces are designed can create barriers, both real and imagined. A lack of diversity and inclusivity within visuals reflects a disregard for marginalized individuals and a lack of understanding of their needs. Here, we investigated whether an initial focus on the representation of people within design visualizations could be an effective pedagogical tool to introduce and aid further development in student understanding of Diversity and Inclusion more broadly, and how these can impact the practice of Interior Architecture and Design to create more truly inclusive spaces. Our workshops focused on the effects of visual representation, unconscious bias, and inclusion/exclusion; the range of individual characteristics to consider when developing designs; and how to engage wit potential users via co-creation. We also used writing activities to enhance reflection and empathy, providing guidance on developing diverse and inclusive human representations. Collection of quantitative and qualitative data from two cohorts
of undergraduate Interior Architecture & Design students who took part in our interactive workshops via a hybrid setup allowed us to observe three main outcomes from workshop participation: improved understanding of the importance of visuals in communicating social and political aspects of designed spaces; increased consideration of the characteristics of inhabitants for whom spaces are designed; and improved confidence in engaging with marginalized communities. Our workshops also led to a deeper understanding of ways in which different group characteristics and identities intersect to influence how people experience and use designed spaces, and to the successful application of this knowledge to subsequent student projects. We conclude that an initial focus on diverse and inclusive visual representations of people appears to be an effective approach to facilitating the use of more inclusive practices throughout the entire design process.

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