Abstract
This paper reports on a phenomenological study that informs experience-design led product development. The study focused on a deep understanding of the lived experience of six visual impaired people (VIP) living in a Danish city. The emerging insights showed that the experience of visual impairment could be understood from four categories: 1) adapting to a new life, 2) belonging to a group and culture, 3) undertaking social obligations, and 4) having one’s abilities recognized. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs informed the process of relating the categories to a set of emerging design principles, requirements, and implications for social responsibility. This contribution clarifies the type of product solutions that may be needed at the starting stage and the post-starting stage of living with vision impairment (VI).