Universal Design

Principles and Practices

Moyen Mustaquim

moyen.mustaquim@im.uu.se

November 2012

Agenda

• Universal Design and Inclusive Design

• Design Concept

• Design Process

• Need Finding

• Design Guidelines and Evaluation Criterias

• Universal Design Principles- 7 Principles

• Elaboration of 7 Principles

• UD vs Assistive Technology

Universal Design

• is a term coined by architect Ron Mace

• is about ensuring that environments,

products, services and interfaces work for

people of all ages and abilities

• is a general approach to designing in which

designers ensure that their products and

services address the needs of the widest

possible audience, irrespective of age or

ability

• Aims to produce accessible, usable and

desirable products for the whole population

Inclusive Design

By The British Standards Institute (2005) British Standard 7000-6:2005.

Design management systems - Managing inclusive design - Guide

"The design of mainstream products and/or services that are accessible to,

and usable by, as many people as reasonably possible ... without the

need for special adaptation or specialized design.“

Inclusive design is not:

• Simply a stage that can be added in the design process

• Adequately covered by a requirement that the product should be easy

to use

• Solely about designing products for a particular capability loss

• Naively implying that it is always possible (or appropriate) to design one

product to address the needs of the entire population

Why Universal Design? • There are already 130 million people over 50 in the

European Union

• By 2020, one in every two European adults will be

over that age

• The effects of rapidly ageing populations, and

growing numbers of people with disabilities, are

having a profound effect on new product and service

development

• The need for a more socially inclusive approach to

designing is rising up the business agenda

• Design development which includes the needs of

marginalized groups of people is regarded as not just

socially desirable but a commercial opportunity

Some Concepts

• Design exclusion

• Design for all (Universal Design)

• Barrier free design

• A change of attitude

Design Exclusion • Some designs exclude people, many times

unnecessary

• To design inclusively, it is important to

consider the worst case conditions

• Older and disabled people suffer

• So do economically vulnerable groups

• Groups affected by changing technologies

and work practices

• Number of people adversely affected by

decisions made during the specification and

design process

Universal Design

• Strives to integrate all people, including

those with disabilities, the elderly and

children into our society

• The growing movement to integrate

disabled people into mainstream society

• Changes required to accommodate the

disabled actually benefit the whole

population

• Can be achieved relatively inexpensively

with a little forethought

Barrier-free Design

• Use design features to overcome barriers of

different kinds

• Developed during the Civil Rights and Disability

Rights Movements by those trying to prevent

discrimination against people with disabilities.

• Barrier-free design now influence policies,

design practices and law through the

standardization of codes for access to the built

environment, but workplace injuries continue to

increase.

A Change of Attitudes

• Future consumer markets will be

more diverse than ever in terms of

age and physical ability.

• In the past, design education

looked at special needs design for

needs group. Now the focus is on

better mainstream solutions for

everyone

Universal Design Process

Mustaquim (2012)

Universal Design Framework Mustaquim (2012)

Steps in Design Process

Discover: The systematic exploration of the

perceived need to ensure the right design

challenge is addressed, with due

consideration of all stakeholders; leading to

the first output, an understanding of the real

need

Translate: The conversion of this

understanding into a categorized, complete

and well defined description of the design

intent; leading to the second output,

a requirements specification

Create: The creation of preliminary concepts

that are evaluated against the requirements;

leading to the third output, concepts.

Develop: The detailed design of the final

product or service, ready to be manufactured

or implemented; leading to the final

output, solutions.

Need Finding

A design challenge can arise from a variety of

different contexts, such as:

• A newly identified market opportunity

• The availability of a new technology

• A requirement to update or repackage an existing

product or service

The subsequent discover stage of the product

development process encourages exploration of the

real needs of all of the relevant stakeholders, leading

to an understanding of the true underlying challenge

without any implicit prejudice to a particular solution.

This is important as it is often assumed that the

perceived need accurately represents the true

problem. However, experience shows this is not

always the case, it being easy to provide a solution

to meet the wrong need. A thorough exploration of

the design context will ultimately lead to the

identification of the real need.

Design Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria (Lane, Usiak, & Moffatt, 1996; Lane, Usiak, Stone, & Scherer, 1997).

• effectiveness,

• affordability,

• reliability,

• portability,

• durability,

• securability,

• physical security/safety,

• learnability,

• physical comfort/acceptance,

• ease of maintenance/repairability, and

• operability.

Universal Design Principles

Version 2.0, Copyright 1997: North Carolina State University, the Center for Universal Design .

• PRINCIPLE ONE: Equitable Use

The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities .

• PRINCIPLE TWO: Flexibility in Use

The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.

• PRINCIPLE THREE: Simple and Intuitive Use

Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user 's experience, knowledge,

language ,skills, or current concentration level.

• PRINCIPLE FOUR: Perceptible Information

The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user , regardless of

ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities.

• PRINCIPLE FIVE: Tolerance for Error

The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended

actions.

• PRINCIPLE SIX: Low Physical Effort

The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue .

• PRINCIPLE SEVEN: Size and Space for Approach and Use

Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach , manipulation, and use regardless

of the user 's body size, posture, or mobility.

Equitable Use • Provide the same means of use for all users:

identical whenever possible, equivalent when not.

• Avoid segregating or stigmatizing any users.

• Make provisions for privacy, security, and

safety equally available to all users.

• Make the design appealing to all users.

Flexibility in Use • Provide choice in methods of use.

• Accommodate right- or left-handed access and

use.

• Facilitate the user's accuracy and precision.

• Provide adaptability to the user's pace.

Simple and Intuitive Use • Eliminate unnecessary complexity.

• Be consistent with user expectations and

intuition.

• Accommodate a wide range of literacy and

language skills.

• Arrange information consistent with its

importance.

• Provide effective prompting and

Perceptible Information • Use different modes (pictorial, verbal, tactile)

for redundant presentation of essential information.

• Maximize legibility of essential information.

• Differentiate elements in ways that can be

described (i.e., make it easy to give instructions

or directions).

• Provide compatibility with a variety of

techniques or devices used by people with

sensory limitations.

Tolerance of Error • Arrange elements to minimize hazards and

errors: most used elements, most accessible;

hazardous elements eliminated, isolated, or

shielded.

• Provide warnings of hazards and errors.

• Provide fail-safe features.

• Discourage unconscious action in tasks that

require vigilance.

Low Physical Effort • Allow user to maintain a neutral body position.

• Use reasonable operating forces.

• Minimize repetitive actions.

• Minimize sustained physical effort.

Size and Space for

Approach and Use

• Provide a clear line of sight to important

elements for any seated or standing user.

• Make reach to all components comfortable for

any seated or standing user.

• Accommodate variations in hand and grip size.

• Provide adequate space for the use of assistive

devices or personal assistance.

Advantages of UD: Over

Assistive Technology • reduced cost of a device due to greater economies of scale

realized by mass production;

• greater availability of usable design s that were produced in

quantity and marketed through a variety of common

channels;

• longevity of a device that continues to serve people even as

their abilities change;

• better reliability of devices that were mass produced;

• easier reparability of common devices;

• inclusion of a person with a disability in using the same

tools as everyone else in the family for everyday activities;

and

• lack of stigma associated with devices that are used by

everyone.

Future of Universal Design

• What Companies need to do? – Statistical Justification

– Performance Measures (to maximize

usability)

– Proper guidance to market products

• Two Trends- – Globalization of marketplace

– Aging of population

Reflection

• Which design will thrive? – Design that reflects that users are more important or

– Design that focuses art

• ‘Advertizing a product as being

useful only for old people or those

with disabilities’- Can this be kiss of

death for a company?