Designing an immersive virtual reality artefact for disability inclusion: an action design research

People with disabilities (PWD) often face social barriers, such as inaccessible environments, public misunderstandings, and stereotypes, which lead to their exclusion from societal activities. To address this issue, we collaborated with a disability research institute to carry out an action design research (ADR) project aimed at designing an immersive virtual reality (IVR) artefact to cultivate public awareness of the social barriers faced by PWD and foster inclusive attitudes and behaviours towards them. Using technology affordance as a lens, this study went through four interwoven ADR stages to co-design and refine the IVR artefact with researchers, disability groups, IVR and media experts, and end users representing the public. Reflecting on this design process, we distilled our learnings into four design principles to prescribe what and how to craft IVR artefacts for fostering disability inclusion. These principles can guide researchers and practitioners in developing similar IVR artefacts to help address similar problems. Our co-design process, which involved PWDs, enhances the existing understanding and practice of socially inclusive design-oriented research by providing empirical evidence of working with marginalised groups in developing emerging technology artefacts.