Across this series, we’ve explored what human-centred, inclusive design looks like in practice - in galleries and museums, transport networks, green spaces, technology start-ups and complex wayfinding environments. While these settings may seem very different, a single thread runs through every conversation: when people are placed at the centre of decision-making, better solutions emerge. For everyone.
In this final episode, Mima’s Emily Yates, Lisa Baker and Adam Parkes step back from individual projects to ask the bigger question: what does human-centred design really mean for the future? They draw together the shared themes, lessons and opportunities that have emerged across the series - and offer practical insight for anyone wanting to embed this thinking into their own work.
A recurring theme throughout the series has been the shift from designing for users to designing with them - from consultation to genuine co-design. Adam revisits the REWILDlife project from Episode 3, where iterative inclusive research with teachers, children, conservationists and university students completely pivoted the platform’s direction, revealing two distinct user groups that hadn’t been anticipated. Lisa recalls the immersive lived experience workshop at Sherwood Pines from Episode 4, where spending a day in the forest alongside disabled visitors generated the insights that shaped an entire pre-visit information strategy. Emily draws out the distinction between consulting and co-creating: “to consult, we listen and learn; to co-create, we reshape, engage, re-engage and repeat.”
The episode explores how research methods and evidence-based design approaches transfer across sectors - from train station interchange research with the Connected Places Catapult to ethnographic visitor experience work at a major UK museum, and even to shaping an airport restaurant menu around the nutritional needs of anxious passengers. Emily adds that the cross-sector word that unites it all is comfort: whether designing a multi-faith room, a quiet gallery space, a passenger lounge or a calm zone at a station, the importance of comfort is universal.
We make the accessibility ROI case in full. Emily highlights the Purple Pound - the spending power of disabled people, worth over £300 billion to UK businesses annually - and challenges the persistent misconception that designing for inclusion carries an extra cost. Lisa frames human centred design as a risk management tool: “learn before you spend” is her golden nugget for anyone holding the purse strings. And Adam returns to the Community Rail Network’s finding from Episode 2: for every £1 invested in community rail, there is approximately £18 of return in social, environmental and economic terms.
The episode closes with a clear-eyed look at the challenges - navigating conflicting access standards, managing long-term iterative engagement, and the honest acknowledgement that nothing can be fully accessible. But the message is one of momentum and optimism: universal design is the goal, delight is part of the brief, and it is never too late to start embedding inclusive design into a project. Some engagement is always better than none.
A fitting, forward-looking close to a series that has made the case, episode by episode, that designing with people - not just for them - leads to richer, smarter and more sustainable outcomes for everyone.
You can read the complete episode transcript and explore additional resources here: https://mimagroup.com/the-redesign-podcast
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Mima is a human-centric, inclusive design consultancy specialising in helping clients improve customer experience across transport and destinations. Led by research, we consult on strategy, improve accessibility and help your customers find their way. https://mimagroup.com/
