Designing Inclusive Public Spaces Through Human-Centred Technology
Attending the World Usability Congress 2026 in Graz gave me the opportunity to explore how usability and human-centred design can be applied beyond digital products. One talk that particularly caught my attention was right away the first one I attended. It focused on the connection between user experience strategies, smart cities and the development of more inclusive communities. I chose this talk because I thought it sounded relevant for the topic I want to explore in my Master’s thesis, as it dealt with how public spaces can be designed and improved through technology while keeping the needs of different people in mind.
The talk discussed how established UX strategies, such as user research, clear roadmaps, iterative development and ethical considerations, can be applied to larger systems like cities. Instead of looking at usability only in the context of websites or applications, the talk encouraged thinking about how people interact with their entire environment. One of the main points was the idea of a human-centred smart city. Technology can help cities become more accessible, efficient and sustainable, for example through accessible traffic lights, smarter energy systems and improved public safety. Artificial intelligence and machine learning were also presented as tools that can improve access to data and support citizen engagement. However, what interested me most was not the technology itself, but the question of how these systems can genuinely improve people’s everyday experiences.
The talk also highlighted the importance of ethical principles such as fairness, transparency, privacy and inclusivity. I found this aspect especially valuable because technological improvements in public spaces can also create new challenges. For example, collecting data may help identify patterns in how a space is used, but it can also raise questions about privacy and who has access to that information. Similarly, a digital solution might make a service easier to use for some people while excluding others who have limited access to technology. These considerations reinforce the need to evaluate innovations not only by their efficiency, but also by their social impact.
The biggest impulse I took from this talk is the importance of starting with people and their needs rather than starting with a technological solution. For my Master’s thesis, I want to investigate how public spaces, especially train platforms, can be improved through thoughtful design and, where appropriate, supportive technology. The talk encouraged me to consider accessibility and inclusion as fundamental design requirements from the beginning, rather than as additional features introduced later. It also made me think more carefully about how the success of an intervention could be evaluated from the perspective of the people using the space. At the same time, I do not want to adopt every aspect of the approach presented in the talk. In particular, I do not intend to use AI to generate or develop the concept for my research. I want the concept to emerge from my own design process, supported by research, observation and an understanding of users’ needs. For me, it is important that the design decisions can be explained and traced back to the research findings. AI and other technologies may be relevant to the broader discussion of smart cities, but they will not be the tool I rely on to create my concept.
Overall, this talk helped me connect UX principles with the physical and social environment of a city. It strengthened my interest in exploring how design can make public spaces more inclusive, usable and responsive to people’s needs. I will use this impulse to guide my further research, especially when defining the problem, identifying the needs of different user groups and deciding which design interventions could create meaningful improvements.
Links:
https://www.academia.edu/73680489/Successful_User_Experience_Strategies_and_Roadmaps
https://www.repsol.com/en/energy-move-forward/innovation/smart-cities/index.cshtml
