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Throughout the mechanical design process, designers, the majority of whom are men, often fail to consider the needs of women, resulting in consequences ranging from inconvenience to increased risk of serious injury or death. Although these biases are well studied in other fields of research, the mechanical design field lacks formal investigation into this phenomenon. In this study, engineering students (n = 301) took a survey in which they read a Persona describing a student makerspace user and a Walkthrough describing the user’s interaction with the makerspace while completing a project. During the Walkthrough, the user encountered various obstacles or Pain Points. Participants were asked to recall and evaluate the Pain Points that the user encountered and then evaluated their perceptions of the makerspace and user. The independent variables under investigation were the gender of the user Persona (woman, gender-neutral, or man), the Walkthrough room case (crafting or woodworking makerspace), and the modality of the Persona and Walkthrough (text- or audio-based). Results showed that participants from the Text-based modality were better able to recall Pain Points compared to participants from the Audio-based modality. Pain Points were assessed as more severe when they impacted women users, potentially stemming from protective paternalism. In addition to finding that the gender of a user impacted the way a task environment was perceived, results confirmed the presence of androcentrism, or “default man” assumptions, in the way designers view end users of unknown gender. Promisingly, providing user Persona information in an audio modality significantly reduced this bias compared to text-based modalities, indicating that providing richer detail in user personas has the capability to reduce gender bias in designers. 

This article applies a qualitative ethnographic research approach to explore the perceptions of highly-skilled makers of gender and its role in their makerspace. It explores two research topics – common problems impacting makerspaces and the role of gender in makerspaces – and then analyses the results in the context of their impact on women’s sense of self-efficacy. Various factors relating to the overall makerspace culture contribute to women’s lowered sense of self-efficacy. In the makerspace under study in this work, a feminine-stereotyped Craft Area had been integrated among the more ‘traditional’ makerspace equipment, affecting women’s participation in the space. Ergonomic and accessibility problems in the masculine-stereotyped areas of the makerspace were more likely to negatively impact women’s use of the space. We discuss potential solutions to common problems in the makerspace and share recommendations to create a more universally accessible makerspace and impart the benefits of experiential learning more equitably.