Press Release
Bruno Oro Is Honored with the Bronze A' Design Award for Designable Universal Design Toolkit in Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design
Bruno Oro honored for education, teaching aid and training content design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 26, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Designable Universal Design Toolkit by Bruno Oro, designed for Designable, has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
More About Designable Universal Design Toolkit
Designable is an educational toolkit created for design students. The toolkit contains 97 method cards that encourage inclusive and empathy driven thinking. Each card offers a method, a prompt, or a scenario that simulates user experiences, including those of people with disabilities. The cards measure 80 by 150 millimeters and are printed on 350 gsm uncoated cardstock for tactile use. A custom storage box is 3D printed in PLA with internal dividers. A digital version is published as an accessible PDF file. The cards can be used alone or in teams during any design phase.
About Bruno Oro
Bruno Oro is graduated as Bachelor in Product Design and Post Graduated in Creation and Management of Fashion specializing in Human Behaviour and Product Trends at Univali University in Brazil. He trained under the guidance of acknowledged professors and researchers such as Bauhaus Professor Karl Schawelka. Bruno's projects have been published in many countries: China, Spain, USA, Brazil, Italy, France, Hong kong, and in different medias like magazines, newspapers, websites, and TV shows.
Award Record
This recognition makes Bruno Oro a winner of 4 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2013 - 2014 and the 2025 - 2026 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design Award
The A' Education Design Award is an international competition recognizing good education products and projects by leading designers and brands worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to education designers, teaching aid designers, training content creators and curriculum developers from all countries. Typical entries include textbooks, e-learning platforms, educational games, training manuals, instructional videos and interactive whiteboards. The awarded education designs are published at https://desingers.org/design-category/education
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://desingers.org/178031
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/178031
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!178031
- Laureate Profile: https://desingers.org/d/124086
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://designablelab.com/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Designable Universal Design Toolkit
- Function
- Universal Design Toolkit
- Category
- Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design
- Discipline
- Service Design
- Industry
- Education
- Colors
- Peru, Indian Red, Sienna, Firebrick and Saddle Brown
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Designable
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Bruno Oro
- Country
- Brazil
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #178031
Credits
- Image Credits
- Bruno Oro, Subinay Malhotra
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- An educational toolkit composed of 97 method cards designed to foster inclusive, empathy-driven thinking in design students. The cards simulate user experiences, particularly of people with disabilities, guiding reflection and design decisions. Developed with healthcare and industry partners, the toolkit uniquely bridges participatory research, pedagogy, and inclusive design methodology.
- Inspiration
- This project was inspired by the need to address the lack of empathy and inclusive thinking in early design education. Drawing from research in participatory design, disability studies, and inclusive pedagogy, the toolkit was developed to help students engage with marginalized users’ experiences and design more responsibly. Collaborations with healthcare providers and industry partners further shaped its practical and ethical foundations.
- Research
- This design-led research aimed to embed inclusive thinking in design education. Using mixed methods, we developed and tested 97 empathy method cards through classroom pilots. Data was collected via student surveys and reflections. Participants were undergraduate design students working with real-world partners. Results showed increased empathy, design confidence, and awareness of user diversity, impacting how students approach inclusive design in practice.
- Challenge
- The greatest challenge was translating complex, real-world experiences of disability into accessible, reflective tools without oversimplifying or stereotyping. Balancing academic rigor, ethical sensitivity, and design clarity required extensive iteration. Time and resource limits also delayed planned app development and animations, despite strong interest and visual readiness.
- Realization and Technology
- The toolkit was developed through iterative design methods including stakeholder interviews, co-design workshops, and classroom testing. Visual assets were created using Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. Prototypes were printed on 350gsm uncoated cardstock for tactile usability. Digital versions were published as accessible PDFs to ensure open access and scalability.
- Operation and Interaction
- Users select cards based on project needs or curiosity, each offering a method, prompt, or scenario that encourages reflection and inclusive thinking. Cards can be used individually or in teams during different design phases. Their tactile format invites physical engagement, while the digital version supports easy access. The structured yet flexible flow helps users uncover blind spots and design with greater empathy and awareness.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project began in January 2024 and was completed in December 2024 at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, United States. It was developed as part of an academic research initiative focused on inclusive design and was piloted in studio-based courses in collaboration with external partners. The project was later disseminated through academic presentations and open-access publication.
- Specifications
- Each card measures 80 mm (width) × 150 mm (height) × 3 mm (thickness), printed on 350gsm uncoated cardstock for durability and tactile usability. The full set of 96 cards is housed in a custom storage box 3D-printed in PLA with internal dividers for organization.
- Keywords
- Inclusive Design, Empathy Methods, Design Education, Participatory Design, Design Toolkit, Accessibility, User-Centered Design, Disability Inclusion, Universal Design, Educational Tools
