Improving learning technologies and social inclusion through human-centred design and universal design approaches: Novel designing scenarios

The chapter considers how human-centred design and universal design can guide the development of learning technologies that accommodate varied abilities, contexts and modes of participation. From an EDI perspective, it contributes a bridge between design methodology and educational inclusion: learners are not treated as a uniform audience, and accessibility is framed as part of the learning experience rather than a later technical correction. This is important because inaccessible interfaces, rigid interaction patterns and narrow assumptions about cognition can turn educational technology into a mechanism of exclusion. The contribution helps designers connect user research, iterative evaluation and universal design principles with social participation and learning opportunity. It is especially relevant for teams designing digital education, where equality of provision does not necessarily produce equity of use or outcome.