Over five million pregnancy tests are sold in the UK every year and every single one relies on a visual result. This means that for many women who are blind or partially sighted, they have to rely on other people to tell them their test results.

It’s a gap in design which RNIB and The&Partnership, working with product designer Josh Wasserman are determined to resolve. The project has been two years in the making during which time the team worked with the blind and partially sighted community to research, develop, create and test the accessible pregnancy test prototype.

If produced, the test would allow women with sight loss to know their test result privately, for the first time; to feel the result rather than having to rely on visuals. This prototype has been designed to highlight the need for accessible design, to respect the autonomy of women who simply want to find out their results in private without having to rely on someone else.

The organisations have released the research and design exploration involved in creating the prototype and made it freely available on DesignForEveryone.org. The hope is the learnings from this campaign inspire other designers to prioritise accessibility. 

The prototype is the focal point of a broader multi-channel campaign drawing attention to the real-life implications of inaccessible design in everyday life, from pregnancy to financial and medical information.

Martin Wingfield, Head of Brand & Marketing at RNIB, said: “The problem isn’t just limited to pregnancy tests. We’ve heard incredible stories from people with sight loss of not being able to access their own medical information. From product packaging to financial information, everyone has the right to privacy and dignity,”

This campaign is a powerful example of what creative collaboration can achieve when every perspective is considered. Because people’s right to privacy and autonomy should not be dictated by a lack of accessible design.