Integrating Inclusion into Technologies – Practical Insights from two case studies in VR-Technology and E-Mobility

For most of us today, using technologies often is not optional anymore. However, inclusivity and a user-centred approach are still not the default in technology development. There remains a lot to learn on how to apply technologies to different contexts and for diverse user groups. Using two examples of FEMtech research projects (VR4Care on the use of virtual reality in nursing homes and FEMCharge on the development of charging infrastructure for e-cars), we want to give practical insights into two research projects which specifically tried to consider sex and gender in an intersectional way when developing new technologies. In both, we were able to identify relevant insights for the future development of technologies with approaches geared towards more inclusion using focus groups, usability tests, interviews and intersectional analysis of the obtained data. In these two research processes, we were able to witness that while looking at sex and gender as a variable remained relevant, other dimensions of diversity and/or their intersection also caused large disparities. It therefore was elementary to take these into account, as they often turned out to carry more weight than sex or gender. We concluded that it is not enough to consider gender as an isolated variable, but that a user-centred approach needs to be an intersectional approach. Research practice shows us, that there are many limitations and challenges associated with these kinds of research processes. In the conclusion, we therefore also outline our thoughts on the practical challenges we encountered.