Institute for Human Centered Design
The Institute for Human Centered Design is a Boston-based nonprofit founded in 1978 that provides inclusive design, accessibility, and universal design consulting, training, and research to public agencies, cultural institutions, and academic clients, anchored by its User/Expert Lab and federally designated New England ADA Center.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Institute for Human Centered Design does
The Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD) is a Boston-based nonprofit founded in 1978 (originally as Adaptive Environments and renamed in 1998) that provides consulting, training, education, and research services focused on inclusive design, universal design, and accessibility. The organization serves public agencies, cultural institutions, academic bodies, and private-sector clients, helping them design products, environments, services, and digital experiences that are usable by people across the full spectrum of human diversity. Its client roster includes transit authorities (notably the MBTA on the Green Line Transformation), major museums and cultural venues (Smithsonian, Walker Art Center, Boston City Hall plaza), and academic institutions (Harvard Medical School, Boston University).
IHCD's core technical capability centers on the User/Expert Lab, a proprietary panel of more than 500 people with disabilities used as a lived-experience testing resource for client projects. The organization also co-developed the widely cited Seven Principles of Universal Design in 1997 and has hosted the federally designated New England ADA Center, one of 10 regional ADA Centers in the U.S., since 1996. Service lines include accessibility audits, design consulting, training and professional education, research publications, and the recently launched IHCD Home program for residential environments.
IHCD operates as a nonprofit nongovernmental organization with an 11-50 employee base. Revenue mechanics combine federal grant funding through the New England ADA Center, project-based consulting fees from institutional clients, and conference and training revenue. The organization is positioning to extend its practice internationally, as evidenced by its hosting of the Universal Design Conference UD26 in Galway, Ireland in 2026.
Institute for Human Centered Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Institute for Human Centered Design
- Legal name
- Institute for Human Centered Design
- Website
- https://humancentereddesign.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Institute for Human Centered Design is a Boston-based nonprofit founded in 1978 that provides inclusive design, accessibility, and universal design consulting, training, and research to public agencies, cultural institutions, and academic clients, anchored by its User/Expert Lab and federally designated New England ADA Center.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Institute for Human Centered Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Institute for Human Centered Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Consulting Services: IHCD provides consulting services including plan reviews, assessment of accessibility in the built environment, and testing of digital and web accessibility. Consulting engagements are project-based with direct client relationships.
- Education and Training: The organization is committed to educating globally about the power of Inclusive Design through webinars, training programs, and educational resources. The New England ADA Center provides ADA information and training.
- Design Services: IHCD works with entrepreneurs, designers and businesses to evaluate concepts, prototypes or existing designs to assess usability for the widest possible spectrum of people.
- IHCD Home Program: A showroom-research-testing-demonstration-learning space in downtown Boston offering exploration, inspiration, and practical information. Includes tip sheets, product sheets, videos, presentations, books, and digital publications on inclusive residential design.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Institute for Human Centered Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD) is a nonprofit organization that delivers four interconnected service lines: Education Services (educating globally about inclusive design), Consulting Services (plan reviews, built environment accessibility assessments, and digital/web accessibility testing), Design Services (evaluating concepts, prototypes, and existing designs for usability across the spectrum of ability), and Research Services (engaging diverse people as partners in design solutions). The User/Expert Lab of 500+ individuals with disabilities supports the delivery of all four service lines.
Product overview
The Institute for Human Centered Design is a non-profit organization that operates as a service-based consultancy rather than a software product company. Its portfolio consists of four interconnected service lines: Education Services (sharing inclusive design stories, precedents, and methods globally), Consulting Services (plan reviews, accessibility assessments for built environments, and digital/web accessibility testing), Design Services (evaluating concepts, prototypes, and existing designs for usability), and Research Services (engaging diverse people as partners in design solutions). Supporting these core services are the User/Expert Lab (a database of 500+ individuals with lived experience who participate in evaluating places, products, and technologies), the New England ADA Center (one of ten regional ADA Centers providing guidance on disability rights law), IHCD Home (a showroom and educational hub focused on inclusive residential design), the International Universal Design Conference (UD26, a global convening for the universal design community), Human Stories (a video series celebrating ADA anniversary), and the IHCD Library (the largest US collection of publications and multimedia on accessibility and universal design).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Education Services Educational services committed to educating globally about the power of Inclusive Design by sharing stories, precedents, and methods.
- Consulting Services Consulting scope includes plan reviews, assessment of accessibility in the built environment, and testing of digital and web accessibility.
- Design Services IHCD works with entrepreneurs, designers, and businesses to evaluate concepts, prototypes, or existing designs to assess usability for the widest possible spectrum of people.
- Research Services Research services that put people at the center of the design process and directly engage diverse people as partners in design solutions.
- User/Expert Lab A database of over 500 user/experts who have developed expertise through their lived experience of physical, sensory, or cognitive functional limitations. Participants help review the usability and accessibility of physical environments, products, services, and new technologies.
- New England ADA Center One of 10 regional ADA Centers comprising the ADA National Network, providing information, guidance, and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act tailored to the needs of business, government, and individuals at local, regional, and national levels.
- IHCD Home A downtown Boston showroom-research-testing-demonstration-learning space focused on making homes that support health, safety, comfort, and confidence, offering tip sheets, videos, presentations, books, and rotating exhibits of inclusive residential products.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1 in 4 adults live with a disability (CDC 2018 data)
Companies that use Institute for Human Centered Design
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Institute for Human Centered Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Institute for Human Centered Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Walker Art CentercoreIHCD has worked collaboratively with the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis since 2020 to develop comprehensive accessibility guidelines for exhibitions that go beyond basic ADA compliance. The guidelines address specific challenges in the museum's unique built environment, including circulation routes, artwork placement, cane detectability, label sizing, and hanging heights.
- New England School of Art and Design (NESAD)corePartner school for IHCD Home program - schools of interior design that will host interior design interns to staff and maintain the showroom and website and engage students as primary designers.
- Mount Ida CollegecorePartner school for IHCD Home program - schools of interior design collaborating on the showroom and website.
- Endicott CollegecorePartner school for IHCD Home program - schools of interior design collaborating on inclusive design initiatives.
- Boston Architectural College (BAC)corePartner school for IHCD Home program - engaged as faculty supervisors for student designers working on IHCD Home projects.
- Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)corePartner school for IHCD Home program - collaborating on interior design education and inclusive design.
- Youth Build BostoncoreIHCD partners with Youth Build Boston's vocational training programs for young people interested in building trades and the Designery for high school students interested in design and construction. Youth Build is involved with local affordable housing projects and plans to integrate inclusive design through collaboration with IHCD.
- School of Planning and Architecture, BhopalcoreAcademic partner for Universal Access Mapping Toolkit research and field experimentation at heritage sites and cities in India. Dr. Rachna Khare leads the Centre for Human-Centred Research (CHCR) at SPA Bhopal.
- National Hispanic and Latino Addiction Technology Transfer CenterminorCollaboration to create an ADA, Addiction and Recovery Toolkit, producing fact sheets and resources for addiction professionals.
- ADA National NetworkcoreThe New England ADA Center is one of 10 regional ADA Centers comprising the ADA National Network, which has provided information, guidance and training on the ADA since 1991.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Institute for Human Centered Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Perkins School for the Blind: Large, established nonprofit serving people with disabilities through education, accessibility services, and international programs. A broader incumbent in disability services with overlapping consulting, training, and research functions.
- Easterseals: Large national nonprofit providing disability services, accessibility programs, and advocacy. Broader incumbent in the disability services space with related training and accessibility offerings.
- American Foundation for the Blind: Established national nonprofit providing advocacy, research, and accessibility services for people with vision impairments. Overlaps with IHCD on ADA-related guidance, training, and accessibility consulting.
Emerging players
- AbleNet Inc. Assistive technology provider serving people with disabilities through product, software, and consulting services. Comparable niche in inclusive design evaluation and accessibility solutions, but with a product-led rather than consulting-led model.
Direct peers
- Adaptive Design Association: Nonprofit that builds custom adaptive devices for children with disabilities, sharing IHCD's roots in the disability rights and adaptive environments movement. Comparable mission and nonprofit consulting/service model.
- G3ict: Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs, a UN-affiliated nonprofit advancing digital accessibility policy and practice. Directly comparable mission around accessibility advocacy, training, and consulting, with international footprint.
- Center for Universal Design (Oregon State University): Academic research center at Oregon State that co-developed the original Principles of Universal Design alongside IHCD in 1997. It is the closest direct peer in mission, methodology, and history, focused on inclusive design research and education.
- Helen Hamlyn Research Centre: Royal College of Art's inclusive design research centre. Awarded IHCD its 2022 Inclusive Design Champion recognition, indicating direct comparability in inclusive design research, education, and practice.
- Knowbility: Austin-based nonprofit that provides web accessibility consulting, training, and community programs including the AIR conference. Directly overlaps with IHCD's digital accessibility testing and inclusive design education services.
- Trace Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison): University research center focused on accessibility and inclusive technology, particularly for people with disabilities. Direct peer in accessibility research, training, and consulting outputs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Institute for Human Centered Design social profiles
Digital presenceInstitute for Human Centered Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Institute for Human Centered Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Institute for Human Centered Design subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Institute for Human Centered Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Institute for Human Centered Design M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Institute for Human Centered Design
What does Institute for Human Centered Design do?
The Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD) is a nonprofit organization that delivers four interconnected service lines: Education Services (educating globally about inclusive design), Consulting Services (plan reviews, built environment accessibility assessments, and digital/web accessibility testing), Design Services (evaluating concepts, prototypes, and existing designs for usability across the spectrum of ability), and Research Services (engaging diverse people as partners in design solutions). The User/Expert Lab of 500+ individuals with disabilities supports the delivery of all four service lines.
Is Institute for Human Centered Design a public or private company?
Institute for Human Centered Design is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Institute for Human Centered Design founded?
Institute for Human Centered Design was founded in 1978. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Institute for Human Centered Design based?
Institute for Human Centered Design is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Institute for Human Centered Design make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are education and Training, design Services and IHCD Home Program.
Who are Institute for Human Centered Design's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Perkins School for the Blind, Easterseals and American Foundation for the Blind. AbleNet Inc. is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Adaptive Design Association, G3ict, Center for Universal Design (Oregon State University), Helen Hamlyn Research Centre, Knowbility and Trace Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison).
Does Institute for Human Centered Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for Institute for Human Centered Design.