Professor Jo-Anne Bichard

Jo-Anne’s research practice centres around Design Anthropology within the context of users participation in design through ethnographic processes; how users perceive design and how designers incorporate user experience into their work. This work is now following Victor Udoewa’s theme of Radical Participatory Design.

She co-ordinates and leads Design Ethnography workshops on the RCA’s MRes and healthcare design modules and previously for SKIP, Across RCA, LDOC and the IE School of Architecture & Design (Madrid) MA summer school programme. Jo-Anne supervises PhD candidates who have a key element of ethnographic engagement with participants in their research.

With Gail Ramster, Jo-Anne is co-creator of the The Great British Public Toilet Map and was runner up in the ESRC's Outstanding Impact in Society award. Jo-Anne has been recognised as a UCL Bartlett PhD Alumni Role Model, received a Standards maker award from the British Standards Institute and commendations from the Japanese Toilet Association.

Jo-Anne joined the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design in 2006 directing the Include conference programme (2007, 2009, 2011). She then developed the research symposia (a)Dressing the Ageing Demographic.

• Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality in Conflict Related Sexual Violence. Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office / Brink
• Engaged: A Toilet on Every High Street. Co-Investigator. Designing London’s Recovery, London Mayor’s Office
• Our Future Foyle. Public Health Agency Northern Ireland,
• ArcInTex European Training Network. ETN Supervisor MARIE SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE ACTIONS (MSCA) Innovative Training Networks (ITN)
• Family Rituals 2.0. Co-Investigator (Newcastle University (lead), University of the West of England, Bournemouth University), EPSRC Digital Economy Programme Creativity Greenhouse Achieving Work/Life Balance in a Digitally Dependent World
• Mapping UK Conveniences. Nominet Trust,
• Inclusive Human Machine Interaction. Cambridge University and Jaguar Land Rover
• Robust Accessible Toilets (RATs). Principal Investigator, ESRC Connected Communities Programme,
• Challenging Environmental Barriers to Continence: Tackling Ageing Continence through Theory Tools and Technology (TACT3). Co-Investigator, Brunel University (lead), University of Manchester, University of the West of England, Sheffield University, Dalarna University Sweden, the BioMed Centre HTC, Bristol Urological Institute and the North Bristol NHS Trust), RCUK/ESRC New Dynamics of Ageing,
• Welcoming Workplace: Rethinking Office Design to Enable Growing Numbers of Older People to Participate in the 21st Century Knowledge Economy. Co-Investigator, Royal College of Art, EPSRC/AHRC Design for the 21st Century Programme
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Global Opportunities Fund, Principal Investigator, UCL. UK/Japanese Research Exchange

2021 Japanese Toilet Association Committee Commendations

• TINKLE (Toilet Innovation and New KnowLedge Exchange)
• The Great British Public Toilet Map
• Publicly Accessible Toilets after COVID-19
• Designing London’s Recovery ‘Engaged: A Sustainable Toilet Initiative’

2020 Standard Maker Award British Standards Institute

2018 UCL Bartlett PhD Role Model

2016 ESRC Outstanding Impact in Society (Runner up)

• Municipal Engineer Journal Citation. Key paper for Women in Civil Engineering for ‘Improving Public Services through Open Data: The Great British Public Toilet Map’ (2012).
• Senses & Society Journal Citation. Key paper in Design and the Senses for Please Wash your hands (2008).

• Mucciola, M., Cistelecan, L., Ramster, G., Bichard, J., Dowd, M., Knight, I. & Traina, R. (2023) Engaged: A toilet on Every High Street. Poster presented at EcoCity World Summit, Barbican London.
• Exhibition.(2022) ‘AR/VR for Conflicted Related Sexual Violence’. Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Conference. UK Government. London.
• Exhibition (2022) ‘Engaged: A Toilet on Every High Street’ Designing London’s Recovery, London Mayor. London Design Festival. Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
• Conference. Ramster, G and Bichard, J. (2019) ‘Designing for active lives: contextualising toilet provision’ at Healthy City Design International Conference, London, UK, 14-15 Oct 2019.
• Spencer, J., Alwani, R., Raby E., Bichard, J. & West, J. (2018) An Inclusive Design Approach to Improving Community Wellbeing: A Case Study of Architectural Interventions in Derry/Londonderry. Amps Conference: The Design, Planning and Politics of How and Where We Live, University of West England, Bristol, 25-26 January 2018.
• Alwani, R., Raby, E., West, J., Bichard, J. & Spencer, J. (2017) Foyle Reeds: How can design reduce suicide attempts at a specific place whilst at the same time improving the experience for all? Design 4 Health Conference, Melbourne.
• Raby, E., Alwani, R., West, J., Bichard, J. & Spencer, J. (2017) How can design reduce suicide attempts through everyday social and civic spaces? Design 4 Health Conference, Melbourne.
• Bichard, J., Alwani, R., Raby E., West, J. & Spencer, J. (2017) The tale of a whale: creating a space for designing wellbeing in Northern Ireland. Healthy City Design, Royal College of Physicians, London 16-17 October 2017.
• Chatting, D., Yurman, P., Bichard, J. & Kirk, DS. (2017) Ritual Machine IV: A Message in a Jam. The Things of Design Research workshop. Computer Human Interaction CHI Denver May 2017.
• Chatting, D., Kirk, DS., Durrant, AC., Elsden, C., Yurman, P. & Bichard, J. (2017) Making Ritual Machines: The Mobile Phone as a Networked Material for Research Products. Computer Human Interaction CHI Denver May 2017.
• Chatting, D., Yurman, P., Green, D., Bichard, J. & Kirk, DS. (2017) Ritual Machine V: Where are You? Research Through Design, Edinburgh March 2017.
• Chatting, D., Kirk, D., Yurman, P. & Bichard, J. (2016) Where are you? Object Outcomes workshop, CHI.
• Kirk, D., Chatting, D., Yurman, P. & Bichard, J. (2016) Ritual Machines I & II: Making Technology at Home at CHI 2016: CHI4Good, California, USA, 7-12 May 2016.
• Bichard, J. and Ramster, G. (2016) 'Ladies & Gents: Are Gender Neutral Toilets the Answer at London Design Festival, London, 17-25 Sep 2016.
• Bichard, J., Chatting, D., Yurman, P. & Kirk, D. (2016) Family Rituals @ Ritual Machine 'Anticipation' in Our Machines curated by Louise Colbourne. University of Brighton.
• Glazer, E and Bichard, J. (2015) ‘A vehicle for design futures: exploring the experience of driving in the here-and-now to inform an inclusive future’. Design Anthropological Futures. Research Network for Design Anthropology. Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark August 12-14.
• Kunur, M., Langdon, P., Bradley, M., Bichard, J., Glazer, E., Clarkson, J & Loeillet, J.J. (2015) ‘Creating inclusive HMI Concepts for Future Cars Using Visual Scenario Storyboards through Design Ethnography’. HCI International 2015. Los Angeles, California. 2-7 August.
• Chatting, D., Kirk, D.S., Yurman, P. & Bichard, J. (2015) Designing for Family Phatic Communication: A Design Critique Approach. British HCI 2015, University of Lincoln, July 13-17.
• Yurman, P., Chatting, D., Bichard, J. & Kirk, D. (2015) Ritual Machines at Design Anthropological Futures, Copenhagen, Denmark, 12 -14 Aug 2015.
• Bichard, J. and Yurman, P, (2015) The Ethnography of Absence: Mapping Emotions. Interactive workshop. Design Anthropological Futures. Research Network for Design Anthropology. Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark August 12-14.
• Kazakos, K., Kirk, D., Durrant, A., Chatting, D., Yurman, P., Bichard, J., & Paik, J. (2015) ‘Design led enquiry for mobile lives. Workshop CHI, Seoul, 19 April.
• Bichard, J., Yurman, P., Chatting, D. & Kirk, D. (2014) Quotidian Ritual and Work Life Balance; an ethnography of not being there. EPIC Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference, Fordham University, New York 7-10 September.
• Yurman, P., Chatting, D., Bichard, J. & Kirk, D. (2014) Capturing the Quotidian; What home life looks like at a distance. Homework: connections, transitions and the wider world Centre for Studies of Home, Geffrye Museum of the Home, London, UK.
• Bichard, J., Jain, J., Kirk, D. & Ladkin, A. (2013) ‘Family Rituals 2.0. ‘Overcoming distance in the work-life balance of mobile workers’. Contemporary issues in long-distance commute work in the extractive industries and other sectors. University of Vienna, Austria.
• Bichard, J., Greene, C., Ramster, G. & Staples, T. (2013) ‘Designing Ethnographic Encounters for Enriched HCI in Interaction Models and Techniques for Ageing and Impairment: Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction Proceedings of HCI, Nevada, USA.
• Bichard, J. & Ramster, G. (2013) ‘Pee-democracy: Opening data to the Great British Public Toilet Map’ in Online Communities and Social Computing, HCI, Nevada, USA.
• Bichard, J. & Ramster, G. (2013) ‘New Digital Dynamics of Ageing; tools to facilitate policies The Great British Public Toilet Map’, International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Seoul, South Korea.
• Bichard, J., Jain, J., Kirk, D. & Ladkin, A. (2013) ‘Family Rituals 2.0. ‘Overcoming distance in the work-life balance of mobile workers’. Contemporary issues in long-distance commute work in the extractive industries and other sectors. University of Vienna, Austria.
• Bichard, J., Greene, C., Ramster, G. & Staples, T. (2013) ‘Designing Ethnographic Encounters for Enriched HCI in Interaction Models and Techniques for Ageing and Impairment: Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction Proceedings of HCI, Nevada, USA.
• Bichard, J. & Ramster, G. (2013) ‘Pee-democracy: Opening data to the Great British Public Toilet Map’ in Online Communities and Social Computing, HCI, Nevada, USA.
• Bichard, J. & Ramster, G. (2013) ‘New Digital Dynamics of Ageing; tools to facilitate policies The Great British Public Toilet Map’, International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Seoul, South Korea.
• Gheerawo, R., Bichard, J., Gaggero, C., Muhammad, Y., Westaway, A. (2010) 'Digital Barriers: Making Technology Work for People' in proceedings for International Association for Universal Design, 2010, Kyoto, Japan. October.
• Bichard, J. (2010) 'Everybody Goes: Designing Age-friendly Public Toilet Provision' in proceedings Cumulus Shanghai 2010 Young Creators for Better City Better Life Conference, Shanghai, China. September.
• Bichard, J. & Knight, G. (2009) 'Out of Order: How the lack of public lavatories excludes older people from civic participation'. Abstract in British Society of Gerontology Annual General Meeting, University of the West of England, Bristol, 2-4 September.
• Bichard, J. & Knight, G. (2009) 'Out of Order: How the lack of public lavatories excludes older people from civic participation'. Abstract in British Society of Gerontology Annual General Meeting, University of the West of England, Bristol, 2-4 September.
• Bichard, J. & Myerson, J. (2008) 'The Welcoming Workplace: Meeting the challenges of office design for older knowledge workers' in proceedings of International DMI Education Conference Design Thinking: New Challenges for Designers, Managers and Organizations ESSEC Business School, Cergy-Pontoise, Paris, France, 14-15 April.
• Lee Y, Bichard J. & Coleman, R. (2008) 'Designing with Users - How? Investigating Users Involvement tactics for effective Inclusive Design Processes' International DMI Education conference, Paris, France.
• Bichard, J. & Myerson, J. (2008) 'The Welcoming Workplace: Designing for extended working lives' Abstract in International Federation of Ageing 9th Global Conference 'Ageing & Design' Montreal 4-7 September.
• Gheerawo, R. & Bichard, J. (2008) 'Accessing Aspirations - Inspirational Kitchen and Bathroom Design for Older People' Abstract in International Federation of Ageing 9th Global Conference ' Ageing & Design' Montreal 4-7 September.
• Bichard, J. (2007) 'Who put the P in Policy: The reality of guidelines and legislation in the design of the accessible toilet' in proceedings for Include 2007, RCA, London, UK.
• Lee, Y & Bichard J. (2006) 'From inclusive user research processes to universal design outputs: the cases of an inclusive design education programme' Proceedings of IAUD, 2nd International Conference on Universal Design, Kyoto, Japan.
• Bichard, J, Boyko, C. & Mackay L. (2006) 'Crossing Boundaries: Inclusive design, urban planning and design against crime in Sheffield' Royal Geographical Society Institute of British Geographers Annual Conference, London.
• Bichard, J, Hanson, J. & Greed C. (2006) 'Our Toilets; Access Dilemmas in UK Public Washrooms' Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Chicago, Chicago, March.
• Bichard, J., Hanson, J. & Greed C. (2006) 'The Inclusive Design of Public Toilets', poster in Healthy Communities: Convergence of Public Health and Sustainability Agendas University of the West of England, April.
• Bichard, J., Hanson, J. & Greed, C. (2005) 'Cognitive Aspects of Public Toilet Design', Human Computer Interaction International, Las Vegas, USA, July.
• Hanson, J., Bichard, J. & Greed C. (2005) 'Personas, Narratives and Empowerment: Redefining 'reasonable provision' in respect of the inclusive design of 'away from home' toilets in city centres', poster in Include 2005 RCA, London.
• Hanson, J., Bichard, J. & Greed, C. (2004) 'The Challenges of Designing Accessible Toilets in City Centres', Proceedings of the 20th Symposium on Toilets, Tokyo, Japan, November 2004, pp55-74.
• Hanson, J., Bichard, J. & Greed C. (2004) 'Personas, Narratives and Empowerment: Involving disabled users in the design of accessible 'away from home' toilets in city centres', proceedings of the 30th Congress of International Geographical Union, Glasgow, Scotland, August.
• Hanson, J., Bichard, J., Greed C. & Robinson M. (2004) 'Inclusive Design of Public toilets in City Centres', proceedings of the 2nd Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access and Assistive Technology (CWUAAT) 22-24 March, Cambridge.

• Invited Speaker: Public Toilet Provision Round Table. Greater London Authority, London. 2022
• Invited Speaker: World Café ‘What is the Future of Accessibility’, Warsaw, Poland. 2022
• Invited Speaker. Include conference. The Public Toilets Research Unit and Engaged HHCD / RCA. 2022
• Invited speaker ‘Design Ethnography’ WorkTech Seminar Series 2022
• Keynote Lecture ‘Design Anthropology and the Meaning of Communities’ Make It Count The 2021 Annual Conference of the DAN Department of creative Human Design Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem.
• Invited Speaker. The Townswomen’s Guild “The case For Increased Public Toilet Provision” 2021
• Invited Speaker. Kilburn Older Voices Exchange (KOVE) AGM The need for public toilets: Liabilities, opportunities and controversies. 2021
• Invited Speaker: ‘Integrating Action and Building to Scale Safe and Empowering City and Public Space Initiatives with Women and Girls’. United Nations 5th Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces Global Leaders Forum, Rabat, Morocco. 2021
• Invited Speaker: Pioneering Women in Engineering. Research and Innovation Conference in Engineering and Information Technology 1st-2nd April, 2018 Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie.
• Invited Speaker. ‘Potty Mouth’ (2017) Bavard Bar Printers Playhouse, Eastbourne, East Sussex 2017.
• Invited Speaker 'Extending Architectural Affordance or How to Spend a Penny' at Toilet Talks: A speaker event on bodies, identities and design, Manchester, 2015.

• Film: Bathroom Privileges (2021) Directed by Ellie Land and Rupert Williams. Consultant Funded by BFI Doc Society. AHRC Research in Film Award.
• BBC Radio 4 You and Yours interviewed about report Publicly Accessible Toilets After COVID 19, 2021.
• Podcast: Ethnopod People & Culture with Dr John Curran, The Human Centred Design Podcast 'What the Anthropologist sees: Public toilets as cultural spaces' (2019).
• Film: Women’s Design Service ‘Toilet Talk’ (2011) Directed by Marie Lenclos.
• Film: Myerson, J and Bichard, J. (2010) Welcoming Workplace: Rapid Design Intervention to Determine the Office Environment Needs of Older Knowledge Workers.
• Letter The Independent ‘Desperate Need For Public Loos’ 12 February 2011.
• BBC World Service ‘Caught short; London’s public toilet shortage’ 20 March 2009.

• William Renel: AHRC LDoc CDP-funded PhD candidate, Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design and Department of Communications (2015-2018)
• Bastian Bayer: Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks funded PhD candidate, Royal College of Art Department of Textiles and Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design (2015-2018)
• Secondary Supervisor, with Prof Norbert Palz (primary) Vidmina Stasiulyte, Universität der Künste, Berlin (2015-2018)
• Rute Fiadeiro: ‘A conversation between design and Intimate Partner Violence’. London Arts & Humanities Partnership funded PhD candidate (School of Design and Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design)
• Wenbo Ai: ‘Empowering design literacy and engagement in Health Promoting Hospitals’ (School of Communication and Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design)
• Peiqi Wang: ‘Developing healthcare collaboration between parents and doctors in neonatal care by designing conversation behaviour’ (School of Design and Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design)
• Sarah Britten-Jones: ‘Designing the learning university’ (School of Design and Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design)
• Judith Buhmann: ‘Inclusive Policy Making for Primary Education’ (Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design and School of Design)

Projects

• Indian Design Council (India UK Design Education workshop series)
  
• Public Health Northern Ireland (Our Future Foyle)
  
• Newcastle University, University of West of England, Bournemouth University (Family Rituals 2.0)
  
• Nominet Trust (Mapping UK Conveniences)
  
• University of Cambridge and Jaguar Landrover (Inclusive Human Machine interaction)
  
• Brunel University, University of Manchester, University of the West of England, Sheffield University, Dalarna University Sweden, the BioMed Centre HTC, Bristol Urological Institute and the North Bristol NHS (Tackling Ageing Continence through Theory Tools and Technology (TACT3)

Visiting Lecturer

• Goldsmiths College Department of Anthropology, Visiting Lecturer Introduction to Social Anthropology (2010-2018)
  
• Open University The Design Group seminar “Inclusive Design’ (2015)
  
• London College of Communication, University of the Arts, Department of Design Visiting Lecturer ‘Professional studies’ (2013)
  
• Service Design Summer Course Guest Speaker Central St Martins University of the Arts, (2012)
  
• UCL, Department of English & Humanities Invited Speaker 'The Physically Disabled Body in the World: Public Space and the Built Environment' (2011)
  
• Central St Martins School of Art and Design, University of the Arts Department of Design Visiting lecturer 'Ethical Futures’ (2009, 2010)
  
• Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, UCL Visiting Lecturer MSc Environmental Design (2007-2008)
  

Keynote and Invited Presentations

Bichard, J. & Ramster G. (2016) ‘Ladies & Gents’ Toilet Break, London Design Festival 24 September 2016

Kirk, D , Bichard, J., Chatting, D  & Yurman, P. (2016)  ‘Anticipation Machine’ Our Machines 2,  Brighton Digital festival, University of Brighton. 3-18 September 2015

Bichard, J. (2015) ‘Extending Architectural Affordance or How to Spend a Penny’. Around the Toilet. Manchester Metropolitan University. 29 June 2015

Bichard, J., Yurman, P., Kirk, D. & Chatting, D. (2015) `3 of the Ritual Machines from the Family Rituals 2.0 Project'. HOME|SICK Exhibition, Science Gallery, Dublin, 1 May-19 July 2015

Bichard, J. & Ramster, G. (2015) Designing Sustainability into Cities; The Great British Public Toilet Map. London Environmental Challenge. Future Cities Catapult. London 16 April 2015

Bichard, J. (2014) (a)Dressing the Ageing Demographic; Comfort in Living. Innonet Consortium Partner Meet, Borkop, Denmark, June

Bichard, J. (2014) Interdisciplinary Design; the HHCD Work & City Lab. IMAGINE Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University, March

Bichard, J. (2013) Affording excretion: extending the design brief for the accessible toilet; Universalising Design ‘Design for all’ and responding to the manifold nature of embodiment, ESRC Seminar, Westminster, December

Bichard, J. & Knight G. (2011) The Trouble with Toilets at Toilet Talk: Women's Needs Seminar, Women's Design Service, The Building Centre, London, July  

Bichard, J. (2011) 'The Role of Older People in Designing' at KT Equal: Empowering Older People to be active researchers, thought-leaders and influencers. Reading Town Hall, January  

Bichard, J. (2010) ‘Toilet Provision for an Ageing Population’ at KT Equal: Continence Matters, Brunel University, December 

Bichard, J. (2010) 'The Inclusive Workplace' Business Breakfast DoGA, Norwegian Design Council, Oslo, Norway. November  

Bichard, J. (2010) Plantonics Satellite Session 'Smarter working for the ageing workforce' in Quality of Life: Social, Economic & Ergonomic Challenges for Ageing People at Work, European Ergonomics Conference, Brugges, Belgium. October  

Bichard, J. (2010) 'Mobility and Public Amenities' at Age Supportive Built Environments, UK/Canada study tour London Metropolitan University, March 

Bichard, J. (2010) 'Access to Public Space' at Designing for our future selves - exploring the links between ageing societies & sustainable design UK/Japan seminar in collaboration with the Oxford Institute of Ageing, St Katherine's College, Kobe, Japan. January 

Professional Activities

PhD External Examiner 

• Duncan of Jordonstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee;
  
• School of Built Environment University of Salford
  
• School of Architecture and Design, University of Brighton
  

External Critical Panel: Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge (2010)

Peer Review for; The Design Journal, The Journal of Engineering Design; International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment; Home Cultures; Disability and Rehabilitation; Transportation Research Part C

Editor: The Design Journal Special Edition on Inclusive Design (2013)

Member: Design Research Society (current)

Event Organisation and Participation

(a)Dressing the Ageing Demographic Organiser  September / October 2013

Across RCA Student programme Organiser October/ November 2013

SKIP Post-Graduate programme Contributor October/November 2012

RSA Student Design Awards ‘The Good Journey’ Judge (2012)

Department for Communities and Local Government invited contributor to roundtable discussion on inclusive design research and policy (2012)

RSA Student Design Awards in collaboration with Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Lisbon) Action for Age Judge (2011)

Include 2011 Conference Director International Conference on Inclusive Design ‘The Role of Inclusive Design in Making Social Innovation Happen’ Royal College of Art

Include 2009 Conference Director International Conference on Inclusive Design ‘Inclusive design into innovation: transforming practice in design, research and business’ Royal College of Art

Include 2007 Conference Co-ordinator International Conference on Inclusive Design ‘Designing with people’ Royal College of Art.

Mentoring, Judging and Event Organiser

(a)Dressing the Ageing Demographic Organiser  September / October 2013

Across RCA Student programme Organiser October/ November 2013

SKIP Post-Graduate programme Contributor October/November 2012

RSA Student Design Awards ‘The Good Journey’ Judge (2012)

Department for Communities and Local Government invited contributor to roundtable discussion on inclusive design research and policy (2012)

RSA Student Design Awards in collaboration with Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Lisbon) Action for Age Judge (2011)

Include 2011 Conference Director International Conference on Inclusive Design ‘The Role of Inclusive Design in Making Social Innovation Happen’ Royal College of Art

Include 2009 Conference Director International Conference on Inclusive Design ‘Inclusive design into innovation: transforming practice in design, research and business’ Royal College of Art

Include 2007 Conference Co-ordinator International Conference on Inclusive Design ‘Designing with people’ Royal College of Art.

Post Doctoral Student Supervision

Dr Jonathan Ventura
Dr Paulina Rojek-Adamek