John Clarkson began his engineering career in 1980 at the English Electric Valve Company, working on the design and production of leddicons, klystrons, travelling-wave tubes, large valves and LCD displays. He studied engineering at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, specialising in electrical sciences and focusing on the modelling and control of stepping motor systems. He then joined PA Consulting Group to work on projects ranging from the automated inspection of asthma inhalers to computer-controlled fire-fighting training. He developed a particular interest in the design process and its impact on the delivery of effective systems and satisfied clients.

In 1995 Clarkson returned to Cambridge to embark upon a research career that would lead to ground-breaking approaches in the modelling of design processes and change propagation within complex systems. He began a long-term collaboration with Roger Coleman at the Royal College of Art to rethink mainstream design for the elderly and disabled, leading to the development of an Inclusive Design Toolkit, which has had far reaching impact on design education and the design of products and services around the world. His team are now developing a Healthcare Design Toolkit to facilitate improvements in practice.