Designing for Disabled People in Home Zones

4.0 Focus Groups

4.1 Aims and Objectives

4.1.1 Overall Objectives

• To assess the safety of disabled people when using Home Zones.
• To assist in developing recommended solutions to identified problems.
• To ensure that disabled people, with a variety of impairments, are consulted throughout the fact finding and recommendation process.

4.1.2 Aims of this Task

• To gather additional information to be used in the analysis of the site tests, and to enhance the usefulness and appropriateness of any solutions, recommendations and guidance emanating from the study.

4.2 Methodology

The original brief stated that the design-professional focus groups and end-user focus groups would take place separately and in sequence. In order to meet the objectives of Phase Three, which was to recommend solutions to the issues identified in site testing and evaluate these solutions with end users, it was decided to combine the design-professionals and end-users into the same focus groups. This would encourage dialogue and consensus, building towards proposed solutions. Combining the two groups of participants would ensure that solutions are agreed by both categories of participant rather than passing information between the two groups and potentially never reaching a solution that is agreed by both.

4.3 Locations

The project undertook 7 focus groups around the UK at the following locations:

1. London (28/09/2006) Focus group with design professionals.
2. Bristol (04/10/2006) Mixed focus groups with design professionals and end users with a site visit at Southville Home Zone.
3. Kingston upon Hull (11/10/2006) Mixed focus groups with design professionals and end users with a site visit at Albany Street Home Zone.
4. Gateshead (12/10/2006) Mixed focus groups with design professionals and end users with a site visit at Staiths South Bank Home Zone.
5. Portchester, Hampshire (17/10/2006) Mixed focus groups with design professionals and end users with a site visit at Portchester Home Zone.
6. London (23/10/2006) focus group with end users.
7. London (26/10/2006) Joint seminar between Guide Dogs 'Shared Surface Street Design Research Project' and DPTAC 'Design Guidelines for Home Zones reflecting the needs of disabled people project'.

These locations are shown in Figure 4.1. While all of the focus groups took place in England, the venues were chosen so as to be accessible for participants from Scotland and Wales. Four of the focus groups included a site visit at one of the Home Zone test sites and then moved to a nearby venue for a solution finding session.

Figure 4.1: Locations of Focus Groups

Figure 4.2: Site Visit at the Focus Group in Southville Home Zone, Bristol

4.4 Participants

4.4.1 Gender

Of the 79 participants who took part in the focus group sessions, 51 (65%) were male and 28 (35%) were female.

4.4.2 Backgrounds and Experiences

Participants came from a variety of backgrounds and experiences including 29 (37%) disabled people, 27 (34%) design professionals, and 21 (28%) access professionals, some of whom were also disabled people. 2 guide dog rehabilitation workers also participated.

Figure 4.1: Locations of Focus Groups

The design professional participants included access consultants with experience of Home Zones, Local Authority Home Zone Project Officers, and design consultants from Home Zone sites.

Disabled people, contributed to the Focus Groups as end users, access professionals and/or as members of organisations representing disabled people.

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