Community-Based Design

A design approach that situates the design process within a specific community, engaging community members as active participants and co-creators rather than passive research subjects. Unlike lab-based user research, community-based design takes place in the community's own spaces and is shaped by the local social, cultural, and physical context. This approach is particularly relevant for accessibility work because it centres the lived experiences of people with disabilities within their real environments, leading to solutions that address genuine community needs rather than hypothetical use cases. It also surfaces sociocultural dynamics — such as power structures, trust, and collective identity — that affect technology adoption.