For this synthesized design I expanded on the design I created in design exercise 1. That design was made with inclusion in mind and focused on solving the design problem of school bells mismatch with those who have hearing impairments.

 When designing for inclusion I wanted to solve the functional issue while not singling out the individual affected, which is why I had focused on the over the door solution for it wouldn’t require hearing impaired students to carry a device that could cause them to be identified. While an app could possibly be more effective, the first design was something added to the existing bell system to specifically include those with hearing impairments while still being useful to others.

​

When designing for diversity I wanted a design to be useful to as many different people as possible and could be customized to their needs, while ensuring that the design solution would still resolve the original design problem. Therefore, I focused on a software solution as it be easily be extended and customized for individual users beyond those with hearing impairments. The bell app design would have an online administration portal that allows school officials to set when bells and alerts are sent out to the students receiving devices. The system would send out a ping to all connected devices (including the over door lights from the original design), to set when bells and alerts go off, and the receiving device would respond accordingly. In this is way the bell system could remain the same while the user device can differ, allowing for different methods of alerting students by using the affordances and functions of their receiving device. This would allow for greater inclusion since the app could be customized for different devices to meet the needs of specific users, such as the hearing impaired it was originally design for. As well as offering greater diversity, with users being able to set custom alerts on their device’s app, as shown in the visualization, to expand the usability and integration into the user’s daily life.

​

Overall a more customizable app alert system would solve the original design problem while allowing for greater customization for the users and enable use of wider variety of devices for alerts, which would greatly increase the possible diversity of this solution. Also, in conjunction with the original door lights design, this solution minimizes barriers of inclusion by allowing those who were excluded previously to use the new system. It can be integrated into every student’s routine regardless of if they have their own device, since the app will enhance the user experience and bring further diversity/versatility to this solution but is not essential as for the resolution of the original design problem.