| Issue |
MATEC Web Conf.
Volume 401, 2024
21st International Conference on Manufacturing Research (ICMR2024)
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Article Number | 07005 | |
| Number of page(s) | 6 | |
| Section | Design, Virtual and Smart Engineering | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/202440107005 | |
| Published online | 27 August 2024 | |
Designing the journey for inclusivity and accessibility in virtual manufacturing environments: An exploration through empathy
1 Department of Design, Manufacturing and Engineering Management, University of Strathclyde, James Weir Building, 75 Montrose Street, Glasgow, G1 1QL, United Kingdom
2 National Manufacturing Institute of Scotland, 3 Netherton Square, Paisley, Renfrew PA3 2EF, United Kingdom
* Corresponding author: amy.grech.2020@uni.strath.ac.uk
With one in four EU adults having disabilities and only half employed full-time, there is a need for enhanced workforce inclusion and accessibility. Despite Industry 4.0’s technological advancements, gaps in adoption persist for individuals with disabilities, hindering potential engagement within manufacturing. Leveraging Virtual Reality (VR)’s immersive qualities, empathic design principles were applied to empathise with individuals living with cognitive impairment in the context of digital manufacturing assembly processes. Exploring empathy’s role in enhancing inclusivity and accessibility, a qualitative study was conducted with manufacturing professionals and individuals with cognitive conditions, bridging the gap between current and future employees with diverse cognitive abilities. The findings, which are visualised through a novel user journey map, showcase VR’s potential as a tool for inclusive design by determining interaction modes that augment workforce diversity in manufacturing.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2024
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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