05/12/2024
𝙑𝙍𝟰𝘼𝙇𝙇 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙈𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣: 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙑𝙍 𝙞𝙣 𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣
From November 13 to 15, 2024, Berlin hosted a key training event for the VR4ALL project, a European initiative funded by the Erasmus+ program. The meeting took place at Fachhochschule des Mittelstands (FHM) and brought together partners from Portugal, Greece, Germany, Czech Republic, and Romania to focus on the use of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) in the early stages of the design thinking process, with an emphasis on accessibility and inclusive design.
The VR4ALL project aims to explore how VR can be used to create more accessible, usable, and inclusive products. The project adopts the Design-for-all methodology, which promotes the creation of products and environments that are accessible to everyone, regardless of age, disability, or other factors.
Over three days of training, participants explored how VR can serve as an effective tool to increase empathy in the design process. The event began with a welcome session and an introduction to the VR4ALL project, followed by a presentation on design thinking and inclusive design techniques. Participants also had hands-on sessions with the Oculus Quest 2, exploring the VR4ALL application and learning about its potential for evaluating accessibility in product design.
The training included lectures on visual impairments, movement disorders, and the practical applications of VR in these contexts. The final day featured a roundtable discussion on accessibility and the role of VR in supporting inclusive design.
The event was an important step in advancing the project’s goal of integrating immersive technologies into the design process, ensuring that products are accessible and inclusive for all users.
