An Inclusive Design Experience

From Pilot Project to Strategy
In the “modular design” touch area, you can assemble your own Eur shelf.
Photo: Die Neue Sammlung (K. Mewes)

Since February 2022, Die Neue Sammlung has been able to dedicate itself to inclusion and digital mediation thanks to funding from the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts and the support of PIN. Freunde der Pinakothek der Moderne. With the strategic project “An inclusive Design Experience” Die Neue Sammlung set out to implement its first inclusive activities.

An Inclusive Touch Station in the X-D-E-P-O-T

Since 17th December 2023 original objects can be experienced haptically in the X-D-E-P-O-T of Die Neue Sammlung and information can be received on each object. The content is available as texts and audio versions in English, German and easy-to-read language (German and English) as well as in the form of audio descriptions and videos in German sign language. The offer is aimed especially for people with hearing, visual and cognitive impairments and/or language comprehension difficulties but can of course be accessed by everyone. The content is also available in English.

More about
the touch station

Guided tours about accessibility

  •
    Frauke Maria Petry is happy to give guided tours about the accessibility at Die Neue Sammlung. Please contact her if interested.
    Photo: Die Neue Sammlung
  • Frauke Maria Petry leads a group through the X-D-E-P-O-T and presents the concept of the new touch station.
    Photo: Die Neue Sammlung
  • Interested people look at the demo table for the touch station.
    Photo: Die Neue Sammlung
  • Die japanische Kirschblüte (jap. サクラ bzw. 桜 sakura) ist eines der wichtigsten Symbole der japanischen Kultur. Sie steht für Schönheit, Aufbruch und Vergänglichkeit (mono no aware).
    © Henne / Ordnung, 1996
Group photo in front of the shelves in the X-D-E-P-O-T. Three women in wheelchairs form the front row. Behind them two men are standing.
The Behindertenbeirat München regularly supports ‘An Inclusive Design Experience’: the group of people with different impairments assessed the accessibility of the building and gave feedback on the concept of the touch station before it was built.
Photo: Die Neue Sammlung
“Making good design accessible to all.”
The guiding principle of the museum since its foundation

An Inclusive Website

The old website was already updated in 2022 to meet the minimum standard of digital accessibility, but that was not enough for us! The website was therefore relaunched in March 2024 and goes well beyond the minimum legal requirements.

Our online presence is one of the first websites to offer the majority of its content in easy-to-read language (German and English). Menu points above the headings show which pages have been prepared accordingly and translations are easy to access. Some pages are recorded by actors and there are short films in German sign language. Visual settings and general information can be accessed directly via the “Accessibility” button.

The museum has provided wall texts for the exhibitions in easy-to-understand language and easy-to-read language since 2019. Content can now also be accessed online via QR codes on the wall text of the respective exhibition.

To the digital strategy
A woman stands at a podium. Behind her is a projection with the title ‘Actions within the project until the end of 2023’. Several people are sitting in the audience and their heads can be seen from behind.
Presentation of ‘An Inclusive Design Experience’ at the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts 2023.
Photo: STMWK
A woman with shoulder-length brown hair stands at a podium with a microphone. She is wearing black trousers and a grey T-shirt. In the background is a grey wall with blue slats in front of windows.
Project manager Frauke Maria Petry at the final presentation of kultur.digital.vermittlung 2024.
Photo: STMWK

In the Future

With a second sponsorship from the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts, “kultur.digital.strategie”, Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum aims to publish an inclusive online collection and offer participatory learning games for educational institutions by early 2026.

The first inclusive design book is also being planned.

With these projects, the museum is able to offer digital, inclusive access to one of the world’s most important collections of design history.

More about kultur.digital.strategie

People responsible:
Frauke Maria Petry,
Angelika Nollert,
Caroline Fuchs