Universal and Accessible Design Principles Synergisms among

1
Universal and Accessible Design Principles
2
Scope of the Discussion

• universal design and "accessible design" are
  often used interchangeably
• Both terms focus on designing products and
  services so that as many people, with as broad a
  spectrum of abilities as possible, can use them.
• Yet "accessible design" and "accessibility" have
  taken on legal meanings that force a distinction
  to be drawn between universal and accessible
  design.
• In essence, accessible design is mandated by law
  while universal design is not.
• This presentation focuses on universal design.

3
Example
Universal design principles embody accessible
design principles. However, accessible design
may not be universal design.
For Example This restaurant has the
mandated number of handicapped parking spaces
and a handicapped entrance. However, theparking
is in the back of the building by the garbage.
The handicapped entranceis near the handicapped
parking through the kitchen. These arrangements
satisfy the legal requirementsfor accessible
design, butdo not exemplify universal design.
Parking space
Handicapped Entrance
4
Goals

• Goals
• Present the principles of universal design
• Provide a rational for each principle
• Provide examples for each principle
• Promote the principles so designers will be
  inclined to utilize them
•  

5
Principles

• Entities designed from a universal design
  perspective are
• Equitable
• Ergonomically Sound
• Perceptible
• Cognitively Sound
• Flexible
• Error-Managed (Proofed)
• Efficient
• Stable and Predictable

6
Equitable
Equitable Universally designed entities should
be equitable in that the entities should provide
the same means of use for all users identical
whenever possible equivalent when not. The
products and processes should avoid segregating
or stigmatizing any users, making the design
appealing to all users.
7
Equitable
Curb cuts eliminate discrimination and
stigmatization.
Everyone is better served

• people in wheelchairs
• people riding bicycles

• people pushing baby strollers
• people who have trouble with stairs

8
Equitable
Ramps eliminate discrimination and stigmatization.

• Everyone is better served
• people in wheelchairs
• people who have trouble with stairs

9
Equitable
Image Stabilizing Binoculars provide the same
means of use for all users.

• Microcomputer technology stabilizes the image for
  
• people who are tired
• people with arthritis
• people with neuro-muscular disabilities

10
Ergonomically Sound
Ergonomically Sound The physical demands
associated with the use of an entity must be
within acceptable limits for a wide range of
users.
11
Ergonomically Sound
Entrances and Corridors

• entrance ramps must not be so steep that
  wheelchair users cannot move themselves (or be
  pushed) up the ramp
• appropriate space for easy wheelchair navigation
  must be provided

12
Ergonomically Sound
Doors

• Door knobs should be placed so that a door
  without an automatic opener can be opened by a
  person in a wheelchair.
• The force required to open a door should allow a
  wide range of people to physically open the door.

13
Ergonomically Sound
Harmful and unnecessary lifting and carrying
should be avoided.
14
Perceptible
Perceptible Designed entities must effectively
communicate necessary information to the user,
regardless of ambient conditions or the user's
sensory abilities.
Illustration taken from http//www.visualexpert.co
m/Resources/background.html
15
Perceptible
16
Perceptible
This device uses 10 different audible sounds.
They need to be perceptible to be functional.
17
Perceptible
Emergency warning systems must be perceptible by
as many people as possible.

• Sounds
• loud
• attention-getting pitch alternating
  intensity/pitch

• Lights
• bright
• vivid
• usually flashing

18
Cognitively Sound
Cognitively Sound The cognitive demands of
designed entities must be within acceptable
limits for a wide range of users. Cognitive
demands include, but are not limited to memory
requirements, task complexity, language
complexity, and reaction times. Designers need
to build knowledge into the environment,
product, or process.
19
Cognitively Sound
Large buildings house many departments, so
designers must provide cognitive supports to help
people navigate.

• Signage
• Color-coding schemes and path markers
• International icons for toilets,
  restaurants,hospitals, etc.

20
Cognitively Sound
International icons allow people of differing
nationalities, people who cannot read, and people
who are cognitively impaired to negotiate complex
environments.
21
Cognitively Sound
TASK STRUCTURE should be appropriate to the task
neither too simple (leading to boredom) nor
complex (leading to error and frustration).
Instructions for setting the clock of a phone
answering system.
22
Cognitively Sound
Assembly instructions for a chest of drawers.

• Clear
• Concise
• Uses pictures

This is from a Danish companythat distributes
internationally.
23
Cognitively Sound
MATERIALS must support different learning styles
and human intelligences. Reading, performing
mathematical operations, or memorizing long
sequences of actions or codes places constraints
on who can perform a job.
24
Cognitively Sound

• Analyzing the cognitive demands of jobs is more
  difficult than analyzing physical activity,
  especially because workers often develop complex
  strategies to hide their inabilities.
• Common problems
• Workers who cannot read
• Workers who are color blind
• Workers who cannot remember code or action
  sequences
• Cognitive issue(s) indicators
• increased errors
• decreased productivity
• other symptomatic indicators

25
Flexible
Flexible Designing flexibility into an entity
increases the likelihood that the products,
systems, and environments can be used and
experienced by people of all abilities, to the
greatest extent possible, without adaptations.
26
Flexible
The automotive industry has led the way in terms
of flexible design. Vehicles provide

• adjustable seats
• adjustable steering wheels
• adjustable floor pedal positioning
• adjustable mirror positions
• adjustable temperature
• adjustable lights for different areas of the
  vehicle
• adjustable distribution and intensity of music

27
Flexible
Flexibility needs to be built into the workplace
and the interface between the worker and the job
process.
Text Telephone TTY
Braille Speakerphone
28
Flexible
Agile Devices and Systems Provide Flexibility
Adjustable seating and positioning
29
Flexible

• Flexibility arises from many sources
• times for starting and finishing a job
• tempo of the work
• the sequencing of different parts of the job
• conditions for participating in the work activity
• time and location where the work will occur
• technology for participating in various aspects
  of the job
• delivery channels for inventory
• materials / supplies

30
Error Managed (Error Proofed)
Error Managed (Error Proofed) Entities must be
designed so that they support doing the right
thing. It is important to create a design
wherein errors can be managed. This applies
to consumers, workers, and students.
31
Error Managed (Error Proofed)

• Error Proofing Strategies
• Do not allow the user to make an error.
  Examples a) Microwave oven stops when the door
  is opened.
  b) Car will not start unless gear in
  park/neutral.
• Provide a warning that an error has or will
  occur. Examples a) A buzzer sounds if car key
  is left in ignition
  when car door is opened.
  b) Warning display for car high engine
  temperature.
• Provide easy way to correct errors if they
  occur. Examples a) Microsoft Windows use of
  the ltctrlgtz key stroke.
  b) Undo option in word processor edit features.

32
Error Managed (Error Proofed)

• Designers strive to eliminate errors when
  consumers use their products and when workers
  manufacture and assemble products in a production
  system.

EXAMPLE Diesel fuel nozzle too large for
unleaded gas tank opening.
NoteColor Coding
33
Error Managed (Error Proofed)
Ignition Keys
Steering Wheel
Door Locks
Lights

• Warning Lights
• Electrical
• Temperature
• Gas
• Door Open
• Seat Belts

Gear Shift
Todays cars exhibit a host of error proofing
features.
34
Error Managed (Error Proofed)

• When doors open
• The microwave oven turns off
• The washer stops
• The dryer stops

35
Error Managed (Error Proofed)

• In education, where people learn by making
  mistakes, elements of the process not critical to
  the learning objectives should be error-proofed.
  Errors in the process segment associated with the
  educational objectives should be managed so as to
  facilitate the educational process.

36
Error Managed (Error Proofed)
Error-Proof Setup and Preparation
Error-Proof End Activity Transition Clean Up
Manage Errors
37
Error Managed (Error Proofed)

• Error-proofing is a core strategy for achieving
  the objectives associated with lean production
  and quality control programs.
• For workers without disabilities, the
  error-proofing strategies fight boredom, fatigue,
  and other distractions.
• For individuals with disabilities, the
  error-proofing strategies provide an essential
  dialogue between the job and person, enabling the
  person to actually perform the job.

38
Efficient (Muda Elimination)
Efficient (Muda Elimination) - Designed entities
need to be efficient in that they have reduced
as much of the non-value added activities as
possible and/or reasonable. In kaizen terms
one would say muda elimination (Imai, 1997).
Muda means waste in Japanese however, the
implications of the word include anything or any
activity that does not add value.(Imai, 1997)
39
Efficient (Muda Elimination)

• Most discussions of universal design do not
  include efficiency / muda elimination.
• Muda elimination is a powerful universal design
  concept that touches on issues not raised by more
  typical discussions of universal design.
• gtnon-value added activities such as
  waitinggtslow, effortful operationsgtthe need to
  consistently re-check actionsgttedious procedures
• These non-value added activities not only
  frustrate and antagonize most users, but also
  render the products unusable for those with a low
  tolerance for frustration.

40
Efficient (Muda Elimination)
Reducing non-value added activity complements and
in some cases overlaps the other universal design
principles.
For example, by reducing both errors and the
physical demands of a job (lifting,
transporting), non-value added job components are
also reduced.
41
Efficient (Muda Elimination)
Viewed as the elimination of any thing or any
activity that does not add value, muda
elimination has potential utility for consumer
product design.

• Examples of non-value added activity
• Waiting for a service provider
  telephone customer service cue
  emergency room service cue
• Making errors or having to recheck actions
  due to wrong or unclear operating
  instructions in user manuals or assembly
  instructions.
• Excessive system configuration time.
• Having to re-enter all information in a
  computer form if only one item needs to be
  changed.
• A large collection of features and options
  that complicate product operations and are
  rarely or never used.

42
Efficient (Muda Elimination)
Standardized work procedures Work Place
Organization work to reduce non-value activities.
A French term meaningeverything in its place
used by chefs and a coreconcept in their
training.
Reduce time spent searching for things, or
figuring outwhat or how to do something.
43
Stable and Predictable
Stable and Predictable Designed entities need
to be stable and predictable in that users can
expect performance that supports the desired
activity. While each entity presents unique
requirements for stability and predictability, a
common theme across all designed entities is the
need to reduce the inherent variability of using
the entity.
44
Stable and Predictable
Buildings and facilities

• Temperature
• Light
• Noise
• Electrical Power

Elevators, escalators, and all infrastructure
systems should be reliable. The common cause
variability of these elements should be very low,
essentially zero.
45
Stable and Predictable
Self-managing features that help reduce common
cause variability and create more stable,
predictable environments for everyone

• workplace organization
• standardized work procedures
• utilizing visual controls

46
WORKPLACE ORGANIZATION STANDARDIZED WORK
PROCEDURES VISUAL CONTROLS
Parking Lot
Tool Board
Desk
47
Grooks 4, P Hein, Doubleday Company, Garden
City, N.Y. 1972
48
Synergisms among the Universal Design Principles
49
Synergisms among the Universal Design Principles

• Universal design principles work synergistically
  and are best employed as part of a coherent
  design strategy.
• Equitability
• Ergonomic soundness
• Perceptibility
• Cognitive soundness
• Error management
• Flexibility
• Efficiency
• Stability and predictability

50
Synergisms among the Universal Design Principles
TASK Read the dials and verify correct
operation based on meter readings.
The acceptable level is marked. Much less error
prone.
Least cognitively Demanding. Rotate meter dial
vertical alignment means acceptable. Also use
markers.
Read Interpret Very error prone.
51
Conclusions
52
Conclusions
The greatest benefits of universal design derive
from a conscious, systematic application of the
principles in that there are synergistic
interactions that come about with the
implementation of several principles.

• Equitability
• Ergonomic soundness
• Perceptibility
• Cognitive soundness
• Error management
• Flexibility
• Efficiency
• Stability and predictability

53
Conclusions

• Universal design can be defined as the design of
  entities that can be used and experienced by
  people of all abilities, to the greatest extent
  possible, without adaptations.
• Universal design can be accessible design if it
  is driven by legal mandates, but universal design
  expands accessibility not simply because it is
  mandated, but rather because it is seen as a goal
  in its own right.
• The universal design principles seek to enhance
  human capabilities by supporting what people do
  best and avoiding what is most difficult and
  problematic.

54
Conclusions
The European Concept for Accessibility Network
Makes the case for equating universal design
with good design. In discussing diversity in
the years 2000 and beyond they urge Europeans
to no longer talk about the specific needs of
certain categories of people, but talk about
human functioning. We should look at every aspect
of human functioning, without categorizing.
Accessibility will loose its stigma and become
a mainstream issue. We wont need terms like
Design for All or Universal Design anymore. We
will only refer to good design and bad design