Course Learning Objectives

After completing this course, participants will be able to: 

  • INFORM - Summarize the cultural context and design legacies that contribute to the built environment's current inadequacy to fully meet the needs of America's plus size population.

  • LISTEN - Elevate stakeholder-defined size-inclusive spatial priorities in interior and architectural design processes.

  • SYNTHESIZE - Identify size-inclusive design qualities and strategies for application in project furniture selection, spatial configuration, and overall programming of space.

  • ACT - Define personal and professional "next practices" (advocacy steps toward greater equity and inclusivity) appropriate to the individual's role, spheres of influence, skills, and interests in the design industry and greater world.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    ADMINISTRATION

    • Welcome

    • Course Accessibility

    • Course-Taking Tips

    • Course Learning Objectives

    • Meet Your Course Instructors

    • AIA LUs
  • 2

    INTRODUCTION

    • The Bigger You Are...

    • Chairs with Arms (Jen)

    • By Design?

    • Taking Up Space

    • Feel Your Space

    • REFLECTION PREP: IDENTITY

    • REFLECTION: How do I show up?
  • 3

    HUMAN NEEDS

    • What's YOUR "Comfortable"?

    • Comfort

    • Discomfort

    • The Experience

    • 95%

    • Inclusion

    • DEFINITION: inclusion

    • REVIEW: What do we all need?
  • 4

    POPULATION NEEDS

    • America Today

    • Intersectionality

    • Don't You Mean "Fat"?

    • Body Positivity

    • Body Neutrality, Liberation, + HAES

    • Designers' Response

    • DEFINITION: inclusive design

    • REVIEW: How do we show up?
  • 5

    BUSINESS CASE

    • Value for Retail, Food Service, and Entertainment Venues

    • CASE STUDY: Palomar

    • CASE STUDY: Nossa Familia at Seven Corners

    • Value for Workplaces

    • REVIEW: What does it look like?
  • 6

    EXPERT INPUT

    • Chair Talk

    • Introduction to Experts

    • Original Lifehackers

    • The Importance of Office Furniture for Fat People

    • What I Look For (Jen)

    • Height (Michael)

    • Comfort (Kelsey)

    • Options (Jen)

    • REFLECTION PREP: LISTENING

    • REFLECTION: What showed up?
  • 7

    DETAILS

    • Summary of Observations

    • Next Practices

    • Size Matters

    • Fit (Kelsey)

    • Flexibility + Malleability

    • Task Chairs (Michael)

    • Durability + Materiality

    • Commercial Use (Jen)

    • The Space Between

    • Chairings

    • REFLECTION PREP: DESIGN

    • REFLECTION: What's feasible?
  • 8

    ACTION

    • The Activist Designer

    • REFLECTION PREP: ROLE

    • REFLECTION: Where do I start?

    • REFLECTION PREP: ACTION

    • REFLECTION: How will I take action?

    • Conclusion
  • 9

    RESOURCES

    • Additional Design Resources

    • OPTIONAL: Add to our collective resources!
  • 10

    CREDIT

    • AIA Credit Request

    • LEED/WELL AP Self-Reporting Information

Course Reviews

5 star rating

Fantastic and eye-opening resource

Abigail Lee

This course shares so much information in an intuitive and empathetic way. It really changed my perspective on designing spaces for people of all sizes, and ...

Read More

This course shares so much information in an intuitive and empathetic way. It really changed my perspective on designing spaces for people of all sizes, and gave me great practical strategies and resources.

Read Less
5 star rating

Amazing

Nate Ember

Excellent and thorough training with an abundance of resources! Also, the format is incredibly polished and professional, most legit online course I've done!

Excellent and thorough training with an abundance of resources! Also, the format is incredibly polished and professional, most legit online course I've done!

Read Less
5 star rating

Informative, Educational, and Engaging!

John Maternoski

I'm very much not a fan of virtual courses - to me they're generally painful to endure. Size-Inclusive Design, however, turned out to be a different animal. ...

Read More

I'm very much not a fan of virtual courses - to me they're generally painful to endure. Size-Inclusive Design, however, turned out to be a different animal. There is SO much great content that could have easily been daunting to get through in a traditional course or lecture. It was, however, presented in a refreshingly interactive and engaging way. Text was broken up into small, quick, manageable pieces; with videos, images, audio, and Q&A components blended in throughout. I was very impressed with the content, and perhaps even more impressed with how easy and intuitive it was to navigate. Excellent work, IF!!

Read Less
5 star rating

Thoughtful and effective

Ben Carr

Thanks for helping me improve my knowledge base on this important topic!!

Thanks for helping me improve my knowledge base on this important topic!!

Read Less