Accessibility Design Project Ideas for MYP Design: 15 Online-Friendly Starting Points

How to use these starting points

A design opportunity is a problem rewritten as "How might we…" for a specific person, so a designer can start solving it. Treat each idea below as a starting point to adapt to your own named user, not a menu to copy.

Then build the cheapest version that proves one thing. Climb a fidelity ladder: a paper mock-up first, then a functional mock-up in cardboard, tape and household items, and only then a digital model in a free tool such as Tinkercad. Deciding what a prototype must prove before choosing how polished it should be is one of the most useful habits in design.

One-handed tool

Everyday objects often assume two working hands. These starting points focus on holding, gripping and steadying with one.

• •How might we help someone open a jar or bottle using only one hand? Prototype: Paper mock-up of a grip that holds a lid still, then a cardboard-and-tape version around a real jar. It should prove the jar can be held without the second hand. Measure: Lid diameters of 3–4 jars at home (cm), plus the grip diameter of a hand around a cylinder. Test: Video call: your user (or anyone whose other hand is busy) tries it. Record time taken and where they struggled.
• •How might we help someone hold paper steady while cutting or drawing with one hand? Prototype: A cardboard board with a grippy surface (rubber band, sandpaper, or tape strips) and a lip to stop the paper sliding. It should prove the paper stays put. Measure: Common paper sizes you use (A4, A5) and how far one hand can reach across a desk. Test: Ask your user to cut or draw a shape on video. Compare how much the paper moved with and without your board.
• •How might we help someone open and close a bag or pencil-case zip with one hand? Prototype: A larger pull-loop or ring in card or string on a real zip, then a Tinkercad model of a better pull. It should prove the zip can be started and pulled with one hand. Measure: Zip-pull length and the space a finger needs to get through the loop (mm). Test: Record your user opening and closing the bag five times. Note failed attempts.

Low-vision object

Low vision covers a wide range of experiences, so ask your user what they can see and what helps them. These starting points focus on contrast, touch and light.

• •How might we make labels on food or medicine easier to read for someone with low vision? Prototype: Three paper labels for the same product: different text sizes and contrast (black on white, white on dark, yellow on black). It should prove which one is readable at a normal distance. Measure: Text height in mm on a real label, and the distance from which you can read it. Test: Show your user each label on camera. Record how far away they can read it and how long it takes.
• •How might we help someone find the right setting on a dial without needing to see it? Prototype: A cardboard dial with different textures at each setting (tape, sticky dots, string). It should prove each setting can be told apart by touch. Measure: Diameter of a dial or knob at home (cm) and the gap between the settings. Test: Ask your user to find three settings with their eyes closed or looking away, and record any mix-ups.
• •How might we help someone read comfortably using a stand and better light? Prototype: A cardboard reading stand with an adjustable angle, and a lamp position marked on paper. It should prove a comfortable angle and distance. Measure: Your comfortable reading distance, and the angle between book and desk (with a protractor or phone level). Test: Video call: your user reads for two minutes at three angles. Record which angle they choose and why.

Sensory organiser

Sensory needs differ a great deal from person to person. These starting points start from calm, predictable routines and keeping useful things within reach.

• •How might we keep headphones and fidget tools within reach without cluttering the desk? Prototype: A cardboard organiser with a slot for each item. It should prove that everything has a home and can be reached without looking. Measure: The size of the items it must hold (headphones, fidgets, pencils) in cm. Test: Your user sets up their desk with it on camera. Record what they reach for most and what gets in the way.
• •How might we make a small kit that helps someone stay calm in a busy corridor? Prototype: A paper or fabric pouch mock-up with pockets for earplugs, a soft texture and a note card. It should prove the kit is quick to open and easy to carry. Measure: How many items fit and how long it takes you to take one out and put it back (seconds). Test: Ask your user to walk you through when they would use it. Record what they would add or remove.
• •How might we help someone lay out morning items by texture and colour so the routine feels calmer? Prototype: A tray with compartments in card, labelled by colour or texture. It should prove the routine can be followed without thinking. Measure: How many items are in the morning routine, and how much space each one needs. Test: Your user follows their routine with it on video. Record where they hesitate.

Elderly-friendly kitchen aid

Kitchens are full of small grips, small print and stiff controls. These starting points focus on comfort, legibility and parts that are easy to turn.

• •How might we make a peeler or knife handle comfortable and safe to hold for longer? Prototype: A handle mock-up from foam, clay or a rolled towel around a real tool, in three thicknesses. It should prove which grip diameter feels best. Measure: With permission, the grip diameter of a few family members’ hands, and the handle diameters you already have at home. Test: Your user holds each version for one minute on camera. Record which they pick and any signs of strain.
• •How might we make measuring in the kitchen easy to read without small print? Prototype: A paper jug wrap with large, high-contrast markings for common amounts. It should prove the numbers can be read quickly from arm’s length. Measure: Marking height in mm on a real jug or spoon, and the distance you read it from. Test: Ask your user to read out three measurements from your mock-up and a normal one. Compare speed and mistakes.
• •How might we help someone turn taps and knobs that are hard to grip? Prototype: A lever-style handle in cardboard clipped over a real knob, then a Tinkercad model. It should prove a lever needs less grip than a round knob. Measure: Diameter of 3 knobs or taps at home (cm), and how far a lever would need to stick out. Test: Your user turns the knob with and without your handle on camera. Record how many tries and any discomfort.

Classroom accessibility

A classroom only works for everyone if information and space are accessible. These starting points begin with reading, timetables and moving around.

• •How might we help someone turn pages or keep a book open without using two hands? Prototype: A cardboard page-holder and a paper-clip page-turner. It should prove the book stays open and a page can be turned with one hand. Measure: Book thickness and page width in cm for the books used most. Test: Your user reads a page and turns it, on camera. Record how many attempts and any slipping.
• •How might we show timetable changes clearly so nobody has to rely on hearing an announcement? Prototype: A clickable slide or Figma-style prototype of a visual timetable that flags changes. It should prove a change can be understood in seconds. Measure: How many changes a normal week has, and how long it takes to read a full timetable (seconds). Test: Show your user the prototype on screen share. Record what they notice first and what is confusing.
• •How might we arrange desks and bags so people using mobility aids can move around a classroom? Prototype: A scale floor plan on paper (1 square = 10 cm), then a Tinkercad model of the room. It should prove there is a clear route through the room. Measure: Doorway and corridor widths at home, compared with the published dimensions of a real mobility product. Test: Show your plan to your user on video. Ask them to trace the route they would take and record where it is blocked.

Testing without a workshop

• •Test with your chosen user, or with someone whose hands, eyes or attention are genuinely busy. Do not ask people to imitate a disability: it builds sympathy, not understanding.
• •Record what you observe — time taken, failed attempts, where someone hesitates — instead of only asking whether they liked it.
• •Compare against a baseline, such as the ordinary version of the object.
• •Photograph every version in a dated design journal so your reasoning is visible.

A note on interviews and AI role-play

If you cannot reach a real user, a simulated interview can help you practise your questions — for example, asking an AI assistant to play a well-known person whose public experience is relevant. But treat every answer as an assumption. It is not primary research. Check anything important against a published interview or a real user before you use it as evidence in your design folder.

Frequently asked questions