Understanding Universal and Inclusive Design

• Universal design is a process of designing a solution that works for everyone, while inclusive design is focused on designing solutions that offer a diversity of ways for people to participate in and contribute to an experience.
• Universal design is rooted in architecture and environmental design, while inclusive design is focused on designing solutions that are usable by everyone.
• Universal design is one-size-fits-all, while inclusive design is one-size-fits-one.
• The practice of inclusive design is different from the process of meeting accessibility standards. While inclusive design can help with accessibility, it does not lead to meeting accessibility standards.
• Inclusive design is the practice of designing solutions that offer a diversity of ways for people to participate in and contribute to an experience. People who have experienced high degrees of exclusion have insights that make them the experts and they should be at the center of the inclusive design process.
• When exclusion experts contribute to the process, the result is a design with a diversity of ways to participate. When there’s a diversity of ways to participate, there’s a shared experience that helps create a sense of belonging.
• Ultimately, inclusive design describes how a designer arrives at a design. To participate in an experience doesn’t require a specific design, but a particular design could potentially prohibit participation.
• Inclusive design is a methodology that considers many aspects of human diversity that could affect a person's ability to use a product, service, or environment, such as ability, language, culture, gender, and age.
• Disability is a mismatch between the needs of a user and the design of a product or system, emphasizing that disability can be experienced by any user.
• Design of an environment so that it can be accessed and used by as many people as possible, regardless of age, gender or disability whilst keeping the diversity and uniqueness of each individual in mind.
• According to the World Health Organization, around a billion people (15% of the global population) have some form of impairment, so it makes sense to design with the focus on accessibility and inclusiveness for everyone.

Test your knowledge on the differences between universal design and inclusive design, as well as their impact on accessibility and diversity in design processes. Learn about the importance of considering human diversity and the role of inclusive design in creating a sense of belonging.