Transcript for EO403 - Universal Design.PDF

Graduate Apprenticeship - Engineering Design and Manufacture Class: EO403 - Design for X Universal Design In this video, we are going to look at universal design. It is one of the methods of understanding the user. A definition for universal design is "universal design is the design of products and...

Graduate Apprenticeship - Engineering Design and Manufacture Class: EO403 - Design for X Universal Design In this video, we are going to look at universal design. It is one of the methods of understanding the user. A definition for universal design is "universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent, without the need for adaptation of specialised design." It is a form of inclusive design. There are several principles of universal design. And we can apply them as we are developing products. The first one is equitable use. The product has to be useful and marketable to people of all abilities. The second is flexibility in use. The product should accommodate a wide range of individual preferences and abilities, very similar to the first point. The third point is simple and intuitive to use. Applying the principles of universal design, a product should be easy to understand, regardless of the user's skill, and experience, and knowledge, or language skills, or even educational level. It should be easy to understand and intuitive to use. The fourth point is perceptible information. The product should communicate necessary information to the user, regardless of the conditions or of the user's sensory abilities. Tolerance for error is another principle of universal design. The product should minimise hazards and any adverse consequences of accidental or unintended use of the particular product, for example, in the design of a piece of DIY equipment. Low physical effort is another aspect. The product should be designed to be used efficiently and comfortably with the least amount of effort. And this is particularly important for those with limited abilities or the elderly. And finally, size and space for approach and use are important. Approximate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use, regardless of the user's body size, posture, or mobility. In order to implement universal design, there are a number of aspects that we should address. We should avoid segregating or stigmatising any user group. We should make the design of the product appealing to all users. And we should provide safety, security, and privacy for all users of the newly developed product. We should be consistent with the expectations and the intuition of users based on all of the feedback that we have determined will be useful for the development of the product. We should provide effective prompting and feedback during and after task completion for any product developed. We should arrange the elements within the development of the product to minimise any hazards or errors of use with new products being developed. And we should eliminate any unnecessary complexity. We should also ensure that the product allows for a reasonable operating force and doesn't require maximising force to operate. We want to minimise any repetitive actions and reduce these. And we also want to minimise any sustained physical effort in the use of the product that we're developing. Page 1/2 So that is an overview of universal design. And I have a key text here that you might want to refer to further. It is the Universal Design Handbook, Second Edition. And it gives an overview of universal design premises, perspectives in terms of buildings, products, and other artefacts. It includes performance-based design criteria and guidelines, and will give further information to that included in the video. Page 2/2