Intro to Universal Design

February 1, 2016 · by · in

What is Universal Design?

Public spaces are often made for those who can walk, run, and bicycle. Being young, fit and healthy is almost a necessity when navigating New York City without a car. However, people vary in their ability to navigate public spaces, and having restricted access to our built environments is not limited to those who have a documented disability – the transition from youth to old age includes loss of eyesight, physical ability, and other factors that makes it harder to navigate different environments. So, how does universal design address varied ability as a feature of humanity?

Missouri State University defines universal design as the “design of products and environments to be useable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design”. One successful example of universal design was the choice to implement curb cut outs at the end of sidewalks where the sidewalk meets the street. When used, the sloping curb cut outs not only made it easier for people using wheelchairs to use sidewalks, but they also made it easier for people using bikes and strollers to navigate towns and cities. Here are a couple more examples of Universal Design:

  • “Entryways that are flat (without stairs) and wide, that make it possible for persons with mobility impairments to access a space without needing a ramp, while providing dramatically easier entry to parents of young children in strollers, and ease the transfer of furniture and appliances.” (http://www.1800wheelchair.com/news/resource-guide-to-universal-design/)

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  • Well-placed alternate text descriptions for pictures on websites (the alt attribute in computer code), allowing people who are blind or have low vision to use the internet, while also providing an optional photo description for all internet users. (https://ualr.edu/pace/tenstepsud/descr_images.htm)

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The key with these examples is that they 1) make the environment easier to navigate for everyone, and 2) are designed to seamlessly engage all users in the same way. Humans have used tools for thousands of years – so it is not surprising that our conception of difference among us is based on an ability to use and engage with tools and environments, even if it is something as simple as a door handle. Designs that demand the same usage from a young person and someone with a disability work to bring down a number of barriers that happen to be interconnected: social barriers, efficiency barriers, transportation barriers, and more.

Imagine that you’re making a pitch at work for why investing resources in Universal Design would be beneficial in the short and long-term. Some of the reasons you might use would be:

  • It can reduce physical barriers in the built environment, creating more efficient systems of transportation and providing an incentive for a larger part of the population to engage with public spaces
  • Encourages and supports diversity by integrating a broader range of users, and has the potential to create a greater sense of equality among diverse members of the public
  • Reducing the barriers for transportation and use of public spaces increases the possibilities for social engagement in communities, which carries long-term health benefits and opposes an isolationist model of secluded neighborhoods and retirement homes
  • It allows more people to access and use digital technologies, like services that are linked to digital apps

Our environment is a result of the architects and designers who planned it. It is not the product of a passive imagination. So the tools, services, and built environments we use reflect the degree to which designers have adapted their designs for use by all people. By extension, universal design as a solution is a necessary undertaking – yet it is also a frame of mind that designers should engage in throughout the entire design process.

Deciding to incorporate universal design at the final stage of a design process will not ensure the success of your design, because the design process is often iterative. To place universal design at the center of your design processes, include a wider range of people in usability testing (such as people with disabilities), and centrally place the question “who will benefit from this design?” at every step in the design process. It is easy to think of universal design as an optional tack-on to your project that requires additional funding and resources, yet the short and long-term implications of ignoring universal design are seen everywhere – in the narrow stairs to the apartment, the tiny and unhelpful subway track signs, and the radically different paths that people with wheelchairs have to take. For all of these reasons, investing in universal design will invest in your company’s future as well as everyone else’s future.

The designer M. Cobanli said for an A’ International Design Award campaign, “Good design solved a problem, great design prevented it.”

 

Additional Resources:

Many designers might find a list of principles helpful as they integrate universal design into their design processes. Universal Design is often organized into 7 Principles that should “guide the design of environments, products, and communications” (http://universaldesign.ie/What-is-Universal-Design/The-7-Principles/). These principles are:

  • Equitable Use
  • Flexibility in Use
  • Simple and Intuitive Use
  • Perceptible Information
  • Tolerance for Error
  • Low Physical Effort
  • Size and Space for Approach and Use

 

— Eleanor Estreich