Towards native integration of inclusivity in meta-design – The COmeta experience

This article introduces an approach that integrates meta-design and inclusive design within the design process. Rooted in an ongoing PhD research project, the approach responds to design’s complexity and evolving role within contemporary social and cultural contexts. The research seeks to define inclusivity in a broad and situated manner and to develop a method for embedding it into both research and educational practices, preparing future generations of more responsible designers. The aim is to formulate and validate research practices that can be transferred to other educational and professional contexts, fostering a design culture that values diversity from the earliest stages of the process. Integrating inclusive principles into meta-design, i.e. in the research activities that define the meaning and direction of a project, allows for early consideration of issues often addressed only in the final stages or treated as secondary concerns. As early empirical findings presented in the paper suggest, such a transformation demands an iterative process of critical and cultural reflection and revision.