Dr. Ximena Rosselló Zeldis, Head of the Visual Communication Design program, recently earned her Doctorate in American Studies with highest honors. Her thesis, “Universal Design from the South: A path toward the liberation of people with functional diversity,” not only initiates a critical debate on Universal Design application in Latin America but also introduces Analectic Design—an emerging concept seeking deeply human and contextualized inclusion in the discipline.
The origin of Dr. Rosselló's proposal dates back to 2004. While studying for her master's degree at the University of Alberta in Canada, she first encountered the concept of Universal Design. Upon observing its applications in Chile, she frequently detected flaws in measures like sidewalk curbs, tactile paving, and differentiated accesses. These implementations, she notes, often created new barriers instead of facilitating access. As Rosselló says, "It's not about putting a ramp next to a staircase, but about ensuring equal conditions. That's what is often overlooked.”
These concerns deepened significantly during her doctoral research into school inclusion laws in Chile and Argentina. There, Dr. Rosselló identified that, despite official discourse, existing regulations are often marked by a productivist and dehumanizing approach. This framework emphasizes deficits rather than genuinely recognizing people in their functional diversity. She explains the root issue: “Universal Design has been implemented uncritically in our region, with poor results, because it responds to social and historical contexts that are different from ours.”
Faced with this scenario, Dr. Rosselló's research raises the need to redefine Universal Design from a critical epistemology rooted in Latin American Liberation Philosophies. This approach is capable of situating and sustaining a different perspective. From this reflection emerges Analectic Design, a concept coined from the philosophy of otherness that understands all people as equally valuable, recognizing their unique trajectories, emotions, and contexts within design processes.
This new approach—Analectic Design—differs significantly from Universal Design in that it is not limited to physical or regulatory accessibility, but addresses dehumanization as a central problem. Dr. Rosselló emphasizes: “Analectic design allows us to see the whole person, not just the label of neurodivergent student or diverse user. That radically changes the way we design and teach.”
The Analectic Design proposal is actively transforming the training of Visual Communication Design students at the Usach Technology Faculty. To foster truly inclusive education, Dr. Rosselló is promoting new assessment methodologies that prioritize the student. These innovative methods integrate self-assessment, explicitly recognize progress, evaluate challenges overcome, and incorporate the student's personal history as a vital component of the learning process.
Based on these experiences, Dr. Rosselló plans to collaborate with the Department of Inclusion and Right to Difference of the Vice-Rectorate for Quality of Life, Gender Equality, and Diversity (Vicaviged) at the university. She also seeks to partner with educators from other institutions interested in applying the Analectic Design approach. Key initiatives include developing workshops to share the methodology with teachers and co-create new forms of assessment tailored to the discipline's particularities. As Rosselló affirms, "Analectic Design cannot remain in theory: it must be transformed into concrete practices that reach the classroom, allowing teaching and learning from the whole person.”
The impact of this approach has transcended the classroom. Dr. Rosselló presented the paper “Analectic Design: A response to the challenge of evaluating neurodivergent students” at the 5th Seminar on Innovative Technologies and Methodologies Applied to Design Teaching (part of the ReDis annual meeting at the University of La Serena). She further disseminated the concept at the Advertising and Design Week (SPYD) 2025, organized by the faculty, with a lecture focused on “Theoretical and Practical Trends in Advertising and Design.”
Additionally, the academic participated in the 10th Latin American DISUR Congress, entitled “Design for Equity in Latin American Public Universities.” This major event brought together designers from across the region at the Faculty of Arts and Design of the University of Cuyo in Mendoza, Argentina, further extending the reach of the Analectic Design discussion throughout Latin America.
Ultimately, Dr. Ximena Rosselló Zeldis aims to strengthen research and dissemination of Analectic Design by creating vital networks and collaborations with designers and academics across universities and educational institutions in Chile and Latin America. Her overarching goal is to consolidate this new approach as a significant disciplinary contribution that fundamentally transforms design education and opens pathways toward a more inclusive, human, and contextualized practice.