Universal design

Universal design, also known as inclusive design, is a concept in the field of engineering design in which the designer commits to creating something that has the widest possible usability. Whether designing a single building, a functional object, or an all-encompassing environment (such as a mall, theme park, industrial park complex, or municipal airport), design engineers who practice universal design try to consider all the variables that make people different, including age, disability, and body size. Automatic doorways, automatic windows in cars, flexible drinking straws, moving sidewalks, street signs that use icons, word-free dashboard design, large-font keypads and keyboards, dimmer switches, and door levers (rather than knobs) are common examples that reflect elements of universal design concepts.

Although the concept of universal design can be mistaken for professional adjustments mandated by disability anti-discrimination legislation, the theory predates such legislation and, in fact, has long been an operating principle in design. Whether discussing door frames or school desks, park benches or remote controls, a successful design has always been defined by its availability to the widest possible range of users. Yet universal design is not only about accessibility; it also takes into account that such designs, from a hair brush to a skyscraper, should be not only functional and accessible to everyone but also aesthetically pleasing, abiding by the traditional concepts of symmetry, line, and balance.

Background

The foundational concepts of what has become known as universal design date to the mid-1960s, particularly the pioneering design theories of architect and educator Ron Mace, who coined the term and promulgated the idea that wide access without the need for separate modification should be the goal of any level of design. Mace, who himself used a wheelchair, was trained in the requirements of following government building codes, as well as the critical need (and legal responsibility) to make buildings user-friendly. However, he found these directives too limited and too cookie-cutter, treating everyone as if they were the same. Mace began studying how age impacts physical abilities; how critical sensory-deprivation conditions, such as blindness or deafness, impact a person’s ability to interact with an object or environment; how seemingly noncritical considerations, such as a person’s height or weight, can greatly alter usability dynamics; and how disabilities due to illness or genetics can actually prevent people from using certain objects or going to otherwise public places.

As Mace passionately argued before his death in 1998, the challenge of universal design is the reality of medical science itself. In a scant half century, medical technology had added nearly fifteen years to the average life span. Long-term medical conditions, catastrophic injury, and genetic handicaps had become more manageable, and people with these conditions were living longer and expecting full, minimally restricted lives. Even as legislation in the 1980s began to protect certain segments of the population from discrimination and acted to guarantee access to public spaces, schools, and business offices to those with physical disabilities, proponents of Mace’s concept of universal design argued that the theory did not simply seek to create access for the disabled but rather sought nothing less than to provide access to everyone, regardless of ability, in an economical manner.

Overview

In many ways, the guiding principles of universal design first set down by Mace are still the best description of its goals. A design, Mace argued, must follow four basic principles: flexibility, simplicity, safety, and aesthetics. In 1997, Mace and a group of architects, researchers, and product designers generated a list of seven specific principles founded on those basic concepts: equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort, and size and space for approach and use. Therefore, a universal design must provide for a wide variety of choices in its operation, such as equal use for left- or right-handedness, for different heights, and for different levels of physical capability; it must follow the simplest and most logical order of operation and should operate on basic logic or the clear logic of force and effort, in order to minimize the need for intrusive instructions and maintain user-friendliness; it should allow for error and permit the user to have a second or third chance at successful operation without penalty or risk; it should be efficient and not require overexertion on behalf of the user; and it should be an appropriate size to allow for the comfort and optimization of a wide variety of users.

At the same time, it is impossible to anticipate all idiosyncratic needs of all potential consumers, and design cannot solely rely on principles of universal design. Other factors have to be considered, among them economics and what is budgeted for expenses; cultural and social expectations, specifically how people may respond to such accommodations and whether they might make certain segments feel as if they have been targeted for "special" treatment; and contextual issues, or how the object or building actually works within its larger environment, as universal design works best when the entire design is based on its principles. However, regardless of the extent to which it is practicable, the concept of universal design allows architects and engineers to factor in the needs of those who will actually engage their designs, how their designs will operate in real time, and how the finished products will anticipate and, ultimately, invite use.

Bibliography

"About Universal Design." Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, universaldesign.ie/about-universal-design. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

"Design & Develop: Universal Design and Accessibility." Section508.gov, US General Services Administration, Aug. 2023, www.section508.gov/develop/universal-design/. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

Hums, Mary A., et al. "Universal Design: Moving the Americans with Disabilities Act from Access to Inclusion." Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, vol. 26, no. 1, 2016, pp. 36–51.

Null, Roberta. Universal Design: Principles and Models. CRC, 2014.

Nussbaumer, Linda L. Inclusive Design: A Universal Need. Fairchild, 2012.

Preiser, Wolfgang F. E., and Korydon H. Smith, eds. Universal Design Handbook. 2nd ed., McGraw, 2011.

Steinfeld, Edward, and Jordana Maisel. Universal Design: Creating Inclusive Environments. Wiley, 2012.

"What Is Universal Design?" DO-IT, University of Washington, 25 May 2022, www.washington.edu/doit/what-universal-design-0. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

Wright, Steve. "Universal Design in Landscape Architecture: Public Spaces for All." New Mobility, Mar. 2015, pp. 12–15.