Institute for Human Centered Design

Name

Institute for Human Centered Design

Legal name

Institute for Human Centered Design

Website

https://ihcdesign.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accessibility and Universal Design Consulting Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (541410), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Accessibility & Universal Design Consulting (HSABAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accessibility, ADA Compliance & Universal Design Audits (EDAEAKAM)

Keywords

• Accessibility consulting
• Universal design
• ADA compliance services
• Inclusive design research
• Disability inclusion training

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: IHCD generates revenue through consulting engagements including plan reviews, accessibility assessments of built environments, and digital/web accessibility testing.
2. Education Services: Revenue generated from educational programs focused on Inclusive Design, sharing stories, precedents, and methods globally.
3. 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.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Institute for Human Centered Design is a non-profit that delivers professional services in accessibility and universal design. Its core offerings include accessibility consulting, education and training, design services, applied research, and a User/Expert Lab that connects organizations with people with disabilities and older adults for feedback and testing. It also operates the New England ADA Center as part of the federal ADA National Network, providing ADA information, training, and technical assistance to individuals and organizations throughout the New England region.

Product overview

The Institute for Human Centered Design offers a portfolio of six integrated service offerings centered on inclusive design: Education, Consulting, Design, Research, User/Expert Lab, and the New England ADA Center. These services work together to advance the role of design in expanding opportunity and enhancing experience for people of all ages, abilities, and cultures. Education provides global awareness through stories and methods; Consulting offers plan reviews and accessibility assessments; Design evaluates concepts and prototypes for usability; Research engages diverse people as design partners; the User/Expert Lab provides lived-experience reviewers; and the New England ADA Center delivers guidance on disability rights law.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education and Training Education and training programs that build professional and organizational capability in accessibility, universal design, and inclusion. Geared to architects, designers, employers, government staff, and advocates who need structured learning on ADA-related and human-centered design topics.
• Accessibility Consulting Accessibility and inclusion consulting for public- and private-sector clients, covering compliance reviews, policy guidance, and recommendations to make products, services, programs, and environments more accessible. Targeted at employers, government agencies, and organizations seeking expert accessibility advice.
• Design Services Human-centered design services spanning graphic, communication, exhibit, and product/accessibility design. Delivered to organizations that need inclusive design outcomes, including signature projects such as the Accessible Icon Project.
• Research Applied research on accessibility, disability, aging, and human-centered design. Supports IHCD's consulting and education work and informs evidence-based recommendations for clients and the broader field.
• User/Expert Lab An in-house panel of people with disabilities and older adults available for product, environment, communication, and policy testing and feedback. Sold as a service to organizations that need direct end-user validation rather than indirect usability assumptions.
• New England ADA Center Federal-designated regional ADA Center providing information, training, and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act to individuals and organizations across Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)coreOthersIHCD is the home of the New England ADA Center. The ADA is a comprehensive federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination in all aspects of life on the basis of disability. There are five Titles within the ADA that outline rights and responsibilities of employers, state and local government, businesses and non-profits, architects and designers, and individuals and advocates. IHCD serves as a resource center helping organizations reach standards set by these titles.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Center for Universal Design (Oregon State University): Academic research center that originated the universal design framework and produces widely used resources on inclusive design. Directly comparable to IHCD as a peer authority promoting universal/inclusive design principles globally.
• Level Access: Commercial digital accessibility company offering consulting, training, and SaaS tooling for ADA/WCAG conformance. Comparable to IHCD's digital/web accessibility testing and consulting line, though Level Access operates at scale with proprietary technology.
• G3ict (Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs): International initiative promoting digital accessibility and assistive technologies, producing research, policy guidance, and the Disability Inclusion Index. Directly comparable to IHCD as a peer working at the intersection of disability, design, and accessibility policy globally.
• Perkins School for the Blind: Nonprofit serving people with disabilities through education, accessibility services, and assistive technology expertise. Comparable to IHCD as a peer nonprofit that conducts accessibility research, training, and consulting for inclusive design.
• World Institute on Disability (WID): Independent nonprofit research and policy center advancing disability inclusion through research, consulting, and advocacy. Comparable to IHCD as a mission-driven organization providing disability-related consulting, research, and policy guidance.

Broad incumbents

• The Arc: National nonprofit advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including accessibility and rights education. Comparable as a peer disability-advocacy nonprofit, though The Arc's scope is broader across services and direct care.
• Easterseals: Large national nonprofit providing disability services, advocacy, and accessibility programs across many states. Comparable as a fellow nonprofit serving persons with disabilities, though Easterseals is far larger and broader in medical and employment services.
• AIA (American Institute of Architects): The largest professional association for architects in the U.S., offering accessibility resources, design guidance, and continuing education overlapping with IHCD's built-environment accessibility consulting. Broader portfolio but covers shared customers (architects/designers) on accessibility topics.

Others

• U.S. Access Board: Federal agency that develops and maintains accessibility guidelines (ADAAG, Section 508) for the built environment, transit, ICT, and education. Ecosystem stakeholder to IHCD — Access Board standards define the regulatory baseline IHCD's consulting practice operationalizes for clients.

Emerging players

• Disability Rights Advocates (DRA): National nonprofit law center advancing disability rights through impact litigation and policy. Adjacent peer to IHCD where DRA drives the legal/regulatory environment that shapes demand for IHCD's ADA compliance consulting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-for-human-centered-design

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&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