{"id":16783,"date":"2023-01-16T17:18:04","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T16:18:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zlindesignweek.com\/2024\/?p=16783"},"modified":"2023-02-07T17:35:20","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T16:35:20","slug":"what-is-universal-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zlindesignweek.com\/2026\/en\/2023\/01\/16\/what-is-universal-design\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Universal Design?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What do you think? What does a person in a wheelchair, a mum with a pushchair, your grandma, and your friend who recently broke his arm have in common?\u00a0They don\u2019t have much in common. Everyone of different age, gender, and nationality have different education, interests, and needs. Yet something connects them.\u00a0Each of them appreciates making the world around us, the things and services we use every day, more usable and accessible.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Such an accessible solution can be, for example, a lowered bollard at a pedestrian crossing. This small thing will be appreciated by a mum with a pushchair, a grandma with walking sticks, or you when you go home with a suitcase. Or better navigation at the station \u2013 anyone visiting a place for the first time or wearing glasses for whatever reason will be pleased to see the font large enough, the colour contrast, and the correct positioning of the sign or other navigation element.  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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As another example, let\u2019s take an automatic door that has a sensor in it and opens by itself if you stand nearby. In the 1930s, automatic optical sensor doors were first installed at Wilcox\u2019s Pier restaurant to make it easier for servers to carry plates and glasses. In the 1950s, doors were constructed as we know them today, and in the 1960s, they got a wider commercial use. Today, we take them as a common part of shopping centres, schools or offices, and we cannot imagine a modern public building without them. They respond flexibly even to a more significant number of people passing through the door. They are more hygienic because we don\u2019t have to reach for handles, and they are also faster when passing through. We are talking about comfort whether our hands are empty or carrying bags in them or walking sticks, a pushchair, or we\u2019re in a wheelchair. We all appreciate them. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Terms and definitions <\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Universal Design aims to provide accessible and attractive products, services, and environment for the broadest group of people possible. The attitude toward design takes into account the different needs and problems of individuals and groups, uses research techniques, and thanks to which we go beyond the boundaries of the \u201caverage\u201d user and our prejudices. We consider differences in age, abilities, gender, and culture and embrace them as they lead us to a deeper understanding of the issue. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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You may have come across various terms \u2013 Accessible Design, Inclusive Design, Universal Design, or Design for All. <\/strong><\/em>It may be different in detail or slightly different from the conditions it is based on. But the goal remains the same \u2013 to design accessible, usable, and attractive products, services, and environment for the broadest group of people possible.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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We customize products such as headphones, phones, doors, or trams. We adapt buildings from the inside and outside and public spaces around them, so there aren\u2019t stairs everywhere, ramps, and elevators. In the same way, we adapt the access to information, for example, communication in an understandable language without technical jargon. We can also mention services such as borrowing books at the library, paying at the parking machine, ordering food via an app, or obtaining a voter registration card. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Does anyone really need to be excluded? <\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Source: Oxo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Source: Oxo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Focusing on designing products for the mainstream population means excluding groups that don\u2019t fit. For example, the atypical size of clothing and shoes that don\u2019t fit into the traditional confection system, or older people with arthritis won\u2019t easily use a potato peeler if the grip isn\u2019t firm enough. From the point of view of companies, seniors with arthritis are a small purchasing power for whom it isn\u2019t worth designing, producing, or promoting something. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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However, the OXO company,<\/a> which produces a potato peeler, took it from a different angle. They designed the potato peeler that is suitable not only for mentioned seniors but for everyone. Their product is therefore accessible to everyone. It is good to mention that there are lower costs for production, sale, and promotion. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The OXO company didn\u2019t only focus on grips when designing the potato peeler but also on other products. The designers emphasize that the first thing is to get to know the real people who use the product and not to be guided by average personas such as a woman 40 \u2013 50 years old, active life, spending time with friends, and loving gardening. They want to meet demanding users who cannot use the item, like seniors with arthritis or professional chefs who use a potato peeler for several hours a day. In development, they emphasize principles such as \u201crapid prototyping,\u201d i.e., producing and testing their design in a natural environment as soon as possible so they are able to iterate and improve it based on feedback and new information. This is the only way to find a suitable solution for the widest group of users. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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