Short answer

Design projects should prioritize the inclusion of individuals with intellectual disabilities as active participants and collaborators throughout the design and research process, ensuring their voices shape the final outcome.

Field: User-Centred Design
Source: Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities (2017)
Method: Systematic Review
Evidence: Moderate effect

Involving adults with intellectual disabilities as co-researchers, when supported by appropriate infrastructure, leads to more relevant and inclusive research outcomes for all stakeholders. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2017 study published in Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities. Using Systematic review, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Design projects should prioritize the inclusion of individuals with intellectual disabilities as active participants and collaborators throughout the design and research process, ensuring their voices shape the final outcome.

Study

User-Centred DesignHigh ImpactModerate effect

Co-research with adults with intellectual disability enhances research relevance and inclusivity.

Involving adults with intellectual disabilities as co-researchers, when supported by appropriate infrastructure, leads to more relevant and inclusive research outcomes for all stakeholders.

Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities · 2017

Key Findings

01Co-research with adults with intellectual disability can benefit all stakeholders.
02Adequate infrastructure is crucial for empowering co-researchers with intellectual disabilities.
03Many current research projects lack systematic involvement of people with intellectual disabilities.

Application

Design takeaway

How to apply

When designing products or services for individuals with intellectual disabilities, establish a co-research framework that includes them from the initial ideation phase through to testing and evaluation.

Project actions

01Identify potential co-researchers early in your design project.
02Develop clear communication strategies tailored to your co-researchers.
03Ensure your research environment is accessible and supportive.

Method & Evidence

AimWhat are the benefits and challenges of co-research with adults with intellectual disability, and what infrastructure is needed to support it effectively?

MethodSystematic Review

ProcedureThe researchers systematically reviewed existing literature to identify studies that involved adults with intellectual disability as co-researchers. They analyzed the reported benefits, challenges, and necessary support structures for such collaborations.

ContextIntellectual disability research and user involvement

Variables

IVInvolvement of adults with intellectual disability as co-researchers, adequacy of support infrastructure.

DVResearch relevance, inclusivity, stakeholder benefits.

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Systematic approach to literature synthesis.
+Focus on a critical but often overlooked area of user involvement.

Limitations

Ensuring genuine empowerment and avoiding tokenistic involvement can be challenging. The availability of participants and resources for co-research may also be a limitation.

Reliability & validity

The reliability of the review depends on the systematic search strategy and inclusion criteria. Validity is enhanced by synthesizing findings from multiple studies, but is limited by the quality of the original research.

Think critically

How can design teams ensure that co-research with individuals with intellectual disabilities is genuinely empowering and not merely performative, and what are the long-term implications for design practice?

Design Principles

"Empowerment through inclusive co-creation."

This approach shifts the paradigm from researching *about* individuals to researching *with* them, ensuring that design projects and research initiatives truly reflect the needs, experiences, and perspectives of the target user group. It fosters a more ethical and effective design practice by embedding user voices at the core of the research process.

What This Means for Your Design

When you want to design something for people with intellectual disabilities, it's best to ask them to help you design it. If you give them the right tools and support, they can be great co-designers and make the project much better for everyone.

How to use in your project

1.Reference this study when discussing the ethical considerations of user involvement and the benefits of co-design with vulnerable populations in your design project's methodology or justification sections.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

This systematic review by Di Lorito et al. (2017) underscores the significant benefits of co-research with adults with intellectual disabilities, emphasizing that with adequate infrastructure, these individuals can be empowered co-researchers, leading to more relevant and inclusive research outcomes. This principle is directly applicable to design projects aiming for genuine user-centeredness, advocating for the active inclusion of diverse user groups as collaborators rather than mere subjects.

Source

Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities

Co‐research with adults with intellectual disability: A systematic review

journal · 2017

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about co-research with adults with intellectual disability enhances research relevance and inclusivity?: Design projects should prioritize the inclusion of individuals with intellectual disabilities as active participants and collaborators throughout the design and research process, ensuring their voices shape the final outcome. Evidence: Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities (2017).
Why does "Co-research with adults with intellectual disability enhances research relevance and inclusivity." matter for design?: This approach shifts the paradigm from researching *about* individuals to researching *with* them, ensuring that design projects and research initiatives truly reflect the needs, experiences, and perspectives of the target user group. It fosters a more ethical and effective design practice by embedding user voices at the core of the research process.
How can designers apply this research?: Design projects should prioritize the inclusion of individuals with intellectual disabilities as active participants and collaborators throughout the design and research process, ensuring their voices shape the final outcome.
What were the main findings?: Co-research with adults with intellectual disability can benefit all stakeholders.. Adequate infrastructure is crucial for empowering co-researchers with intellectual disabilities.. Many current research projects lack systematic involvement of people with intellectual disabilities.
What research method was used?: Systematic Review.
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2017 journal from Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities.
What should I do differently in my next project?: When designing products or services for individuals with intellectual disabilities, establish a co-research framework that includes them from the initial ideation phase through to testing and evaluation.
What are the limitations?: The review's findings are dependent on the quality and reporting of the included studies, and may not capture all potential benefits or challenges.