[Session2] Design with 10%
Session2
“Design with 10%”
Byungsu KIM / CEO of Missionit Co., ltd
Introduction
Hello. I’m Byungsu KIM from Missionit, giving the final presentation.
When we say “design for the 10%,” you may wonder who that 10% is and what that number means. If you listen through to the end, I will explain it well.
Our Company
First, let me briefly introduce Missionit.
Missionit is a design-content company that analyzes user experiences of people who have been relatively marginalized, such as people with disabilities or older adults, and derives social-innovation insights. Since our foundation in 2020, we have met with more than 400 people with disabilities and older adults, researched the experiences of underserved users, and pursued expertise in this field.
More specifically, we study users in blind spots who need support for physical, sensory, and cognitive activities. Our methodology is twofold: creating designs that are physically accessible and changing invisible perceptions. No matter how accessible or well-designed a city may be, if people’s perceptions don’t support it, meaningful change won’t happen. That is why we address physical design and content that shifts people’s perceptions together.
Do you know why accessibility and inclusion are important values?
According to the World Health Organization, more than 1 billion people worldwide live with some form of disability, about 15% of the global population. In addition, the UN World Population Ageing report projects that by 2050 the population aged 60 and over will more than double from today. In Korea as well, there are about 2.6 million people with disabilities.
(User-Centered) Design
What do you think design is?
If you are seated here today, you’ve probably thought a lot about “what design is” and have your own definitions. But one thing is clear: design has users, and design is a creative act for users. I believe the word “design” carries within it the idea of being “user-centered.”
So on one side there is the planner/designer, and on the other side, of course, there is the user. Now, please consider this: unless a person makes an object solely for themselves, the planner and the user are usually different people. Between them exists a “gap of experience.” This means a gap that arises in the process of using products and services because planners and users have different life backgrounds and experiences. Built upon these personal experiences, differences also occur in how people actually use products. For example, some rely more on vision, while others rely more on hearing. When the degree of reliance on senses differs, the gap between planner and user widens.
The experience gap can be wide, or it can be narrow. The narrower this gap is, the higher the user’s satisfaction will inevitably be—because the more a planner understands the user’s situation and context, the more precisely they can create what the user truly needs. Conversely, as you saw earlier, the larger the gap is, the harder it becomes to satisfy users. Therefore, the goal of the planner is to reduce the experience gap and, ultimately, to place planner and user at the same eye level—in other words, when they stand on equal footing, truly meaningful user- centered design becomes possible.
Participatory Design
In that sense, “participatory design” plays a very big role in reducing this experience gap. And participatory design is a methodology that Missionit uses across diverse projects.
I could introduce many cases, but today I brought just one to explain the methodology a bit more in depth. Since our founding in 2020, we have carried out projects with various global companies, and among them I would like to introduce a project we conducted with the Seoul Museum of Art. The museum is a 10-minute walk from here, so please do stop by. There is a bag called the “Sensory Bag.” Some of you may already know it, and some may be hearing about it for the first time. A sensory bag is typically a tool that supports sensory needs for users with developmental disabilities. As you can see in the photo, museums such as the V&A Museum in the UK and several museums in the US also utilize such sensory bags and kits.
What we undertook with the Seoul Museum of Art started with the aim of creating tools for people who experience sensory constraints during museum visits. In fact, this project began truly from zero base, without concrete ideas or forms. However, from an early stage we agreed that actual users, people with disabilities who would use the bag, must be included in the making process. So, we considered how to include them and conducted workshops in three stages with some 40 participants: people with developmental or visual disabilities and non-disabled participants. The workshops continued for about a month and a half, and the final outcome was completed over two months. The core was a process of ‘observing, discussing, and giving feedback.’
In the first workshop, our key goal was to identify what constraints we face in the museum-visiting experience and what points we should resolve. We prepared recording sheets on how to analyze the visiting experience and conducted analyses as a team. We walked through the museum with persons with disabilities and non- disabled participants and took time to analyze their experiences.
While moving and viewing exhibitions, we analyzed how constraints were being experienced and what problems we should solve. What kinds of constraints are there? There are many, but for example, in a dark setting with loud noise, one participant with autism spectrum disorder felt psychological pressure. People with low vision sometimes view works up close, or use their phones to magnify and read distant text. We also ran various tests to understand which tactile elements matter. We posted the ideas that emerged on sticky notes and ran an ideation workshop together with persons with disabilities and non-disabled participants.
As a result of the first workshop, we divided the exhibition-viewing experience into three parts: movement, viewing, and communication. In the movement experience, we learned that from the moment participants enter an unfamiliar space there are too many things to grasp. Because the environment is unfamiliar, the movement experience itself becomes a strange experience. We also confirmed that when viewing works, people differ in preferred viewing distances and in cognitive capacity to understand explanations. And since a museum is not a place where a person simply roams alone, but also a place where one interacts with staff, communication experience is likewise important.
In the second project stage, based on insights from the first workshop, we conducted “rapid prototyping” and testing. We listed the components that should go into the sensory bag, everything from the bag itself to a guide that helps you find your way easily, communication cards, activity sheets, a writing-to-communicate tool, a headset, and more, organizing them through an ideation workshop, and then produced various prototypes.
We also discussed communication cards, and we concluded that a “tactile map” for people with visual impairments is particularly necessary. People who perceive and experience visually can simply look at a map with their eyes, but for people with visual impairments, the tactile sense is more important than vision; thus, they need a tactile map. So, through rapid prototyping, our team hand-made such tactile maps. When we tested these prototypes with persons with disabilities, important keywords emerged: “soft touch”—some participants with autism said they would feel psychological comfort from soft, cushy tactile elements; and “it must be light,” because if it’s too heavy to carry, it hinders visiting. Therefore, we set the concept as a structure that is “light, wearable, and partitioned yet gathered into one.” Too many compartments are tiring—you can’t tell where things are. So we designed with the keyword of being partitioned yet gathered in one. With this, we completed the “Modeun Gabang (All Bag),” which I brought today.
Modeun Gabang
I brought it with me, and if you go to the Seoul Museum of Art, 10 minutes away, you can use it anytime. We produced this “Modeun Gabang,” and I will explain in a bit more detail what kind of product it is. “Modeun” means “All (ALL)” in English. Inside the “Modeun Gabang,” there are various kits like this. The red item is a small tactile tool for psychological comfort. And there is a headset, communication cards, an Easy Museum Guide, and a writing-to-communicate tool. There is also a black version. The black one is in English and includes an English guide, so I hope the speakers here will try it. Thus, there are two bags, black and white. You can carry them around the museum.
We initially started with the concept of a “toolbox.” We thought it would be good to place various helpful kits for museum viewing in different pockets. At the same time, since having too many things split up is not good, we went through multiple rounds of prototyping to design it so the contents can be gathered into one place. It is currently placed in a space called “SeMA L” at the Seoul Museum of Art. And if you enter the first floor of the museum, you will see it displayed in this way.
A key feature of the product is that it is made of very soft, cushy material, as you can see now. And by using micro-fiber filling, it is very light to carry. The reason, as I mentioned, is that even people with autism or people with visual impairments are very sensitive to tactile experiences, holding or touching something tactilely cozy gives psychological comfort. So, we designed this form, and the squishy part mentioned earlier is a “fidget toy.” Likewise, while providing psychological stability, it also serves as a point color so that staff can intentionally recognize, “Ah, the person carrying this bag may be a visitor who needs some support.” In fact, people with visual impairments liked it very much, some kept touching it even while we were talking.
There is an “Easy Museum Guide.” This guide explains how to use the museum more easily and provides various explanations about the museum’s spaces. The first page includes an explanation of this bag. It explains in various—and very simple— ways how you might wish to experience space. This is because we designed the content with differences in cognition in mind. The key point here is that we placed great importance on these “tactile elements.” We differentiated patterns to separate spaces where noise may occur from relatively quiet spaces. If you look closely, the blue areas indicate spaces where you can feel more psychologically at ease, while red areas indicate spaces where some noise may occur; we convey this through patterning. Meanwhile, for people with visual impairments who wish to receive audio guidance for the space, we added a QR code on the outside so they can listen by audio. You can see how people with disabilities are actually using it.
Next is a set of communication cards using graphics to enable easier communication. For people with speech impairments or people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, it may not be easy to converse directly with staff; in such cases, these picture-based communication cards can be used instead.
Next, for visitors who may be unfamiliar with museums, we’ve prepared a few tools, including activity sheets.
By using the headset, you can block out sensory input in areas where there may be some noise. The writing tool placed next to it is intended for those who are Deaf or hard of hearing, or for anyone who prefers to communicate through writing.
Recommendations for a City for All: Design with 10%
The process of making this “Modeun Gabang” that I have just described was a design process we conducted together, over about a month and a half of workshops, with some 40 participants including persons with disabilities and non- disabled people. For that reason, we believe “Design with 10%”, “design together with the 10%”, is very important.
First, there is the phrase “Design for 90%,” or “design for the other 90%.” This was the title of an exhibition held in 2007 at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in the United States, a phrase that inspired designers, engineers, and social entrepreneurs around the world. However, “design for the 90%” takes as a central issue the “accessibility” of the 90% of the world’s people who have little or no access to most products and services we take for granted. In that framing, the world is seen as a pyramid structure. Along the Y-axis, there is a clear hierarchy divided by wealth. The top 10% are above, and the 90% are below. You could say it is a gaze by 10% directed toward designing for 90%.
By contrast, I would like to propose “design together with the 10%.” The 10% here uses the same number as in “design for the 90%,” but it is a completely different concept. Whereas the former uses a vertical axis, here we use a horizontal axis. Think of the normal distribution we learned in math class. It has a bell-shaped curve where most people are distributed around the mean, and the numbers decline toward both ends. People’s senses are similar. The “10%” here refers to people located at the two ends when we place the spectrum of sensory difference on a horizontal axis. Most people have average, common sensations in the middle, but at the end there are people whose senses are relatively dull or extremely sensitive.
For example, people who cannot freely use both hands, people with constraints in sight or hearing, or people who understand information through tactile or other senses fall into this 10%. Therefore, “design with the 10%” means actively involving these users in the design process. It is a process in which they become co-creators. Only then, I believe, can truly authentic design emerge. “Design with the 10%” does not push the experiences of those who have been marginalized to the periphery; rather, it takes them as a starting point and creates outcomes that everyone can relate to—a starting point for universal design.
Thus, this is not only about satisfying citizens who experience sensory constraints in the city, such as people who are blind or have low vision, people with developmental disabilities, or people with dyslexia, but also about becoming a city for anyone unfamiliar with navigating, for anyone who prefers easy guidance, and for anyone who wants to interpret information at their own pace. To implement “design with the 10%,” I would like to offer three concrete recommendations.
First, reduce the experience gap through participation.
Participatory and inclusive design are closely linked. First, user-centered planning becomes possible, and higher accessibility can be achieved. Above all, authenticity can be achieved. Because participatory, inclusive design is truly a “process of doing together,” it ultimately produces authentic design.
Second, it is crucial to pursue better accessibility rather than perfection.
We tend to think of design as a finished product. Usually when we think of design, we think of stylish furniture, sleek products—tangible items; we tend to think of design as a discrete, finished result.
But sustainable design is an ongoing process of improvement. It’s not a finished, flawless product. By definition, sustainable design is something that continues to evolve. Now, take this “Modeun Gabang (All Bag)” that I’m holding. You can also see it at the Seoul Museum of Art. Is it perfect? No, it’s not. If many people with disabilities, or you here today, were to use it, you would surely find shortcomings. Therefore, there is clearly room for improvement in usability and in various aspects. For this reason, the stance of pursuing better accessibility, not perfection, is extremely important.
Lastly, we must design to lower psychological barriers.
While getting around, especially when using public transportation, how can a wheelchair user board comfortably? The important factor that allows wheelchair users to board buses and move around easily is not necessarily only a matter of facilities. Enabling comfortable boarding may lie in something invisible—an experience of “hospitality.” Rather than focusing only on what is visible in good design, accessible design, and sustainable design, it is extremely important to ask how we can create invisible experiences. Thus, enabling experiences of viewing, or playing with children, to be freely enjoyed by anyone is not merely a matter of “visible design” or even “visible experience,” but can be achieved through small signs or messages that genuinely say, “You are welcome.” Designing these invisible experiences that lower psychological barriers is very important, and to do that, I believe we must work together with that “10%” who experience sensory constraints.
That concludes my presentation.
Thank you.
