Abstract
This PhD by Prospective Practice was carried out over a 9-year period following an enquiry
plan that was developed to fit in with work requirements. The practice draws on more than
twenty years of experience working for a major UK charity for the blind as a graphic designer
and product designer. The practice is documented in a portfolio of practice that was
developed over the course of the enquiry and a critical commentary that sets out the
overarching enquiry, and contribution to knowledge.
The research examines elements of the author’s design and product development work and
provides insight into the existing methods of carrying out these tasks. This includes
challenging inherited guidelines and methods of working and the advice that is given to
external graphic and product designers. There is a particular focus on the text and colour
combinations which are most readable by partially sighted people and on product
development processes. which can meet the needs of partially sighted people.
The methods applied in the research are:
• Action research. Action Research is well aligned to the cyclical approach to working
adopted in the design work presented in the portfolio. When carrying out product
design, the cycles of working include ideation, prototyping, and testing that lead
towards a final goal of manufacture, with lessons learned taken forward to a future
iteration.
• Empirical research. The portfolio includes empirical research with partially sighted
participants to understand more about their eye conditions and reading preferences.
Research was also carried out with website designers and site owners to find out
why they used particular colour combinations in their website designs.
The principal contributions of the research are:
• Identification of a range of text and background colour combinations that are more
readable for people with a particular eye conditions
• A new method of product design that includes blind and partially sighted people in
more stages of the design cycle, demonstrated in the practice documented in the
portfolio.