Universal Design Principles: Creating Inclusive Environments for All
It’s often highlighted that many physical and digital designs labeled as ‘inclusive’ fall short, failing to fully consider the diverse values and lifestyles of people with disabilities. Designing for accessibility can be challenging because every person is unique, with different abilities and needs. When applying accessible design principles, numerous factors must be taken into account. This complexity often contributes to why many designs end up being inaccessible. However, by understanding and implementing universal design principles, designers, companies, and governments can play crucial roles in building inclusivity into environments, products, and services by designing, investing, and legislating with diversity in mind. This approach ensures that inclusive design becomes standard practice.
Introduction to Universal Design
Universal design principles are guidelines meant to make environments, products, and services accessible to as many people as possible, regardless of their age, ability, or status in life. These principles are rooted in the idea of creating an inclusive world that accommodates everyone’s needs. By following universal design principles, the end result is a seamless user experience. At its core, universal design intertwines with accessibility, rooted in the belief that usability and accessibility are inseparable. As a designer, the focus shifts from accommodating specific disabilities to creating universally appealing designs that don’t require users to adapt.
Did you know? Current trends in accessibility and technology highlight universal design as a key principle that fosters greater innovation, cost savings, and higher employee engagement.
The Importance of Universal Design
Universal design principles advocate designing inclusive and accessible spaces and products for all people, regardless of physical or cognitive ability. The universal design philosophy considers the full range of human capabilities to ensure that no one is left out and helps create a more inclusive world. Designing with our differences in mind doesn’t restrict the commercial potential of products or services; it actually enhances it.
For the I/DD community, the benefits of universal design include safety and increased independence. When communities are designed with all abilities in mind, it can promote community integration for individuals with disabilities.
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The Seven Principles of Universal Design
The Principles of Universal Design were created by Ron Mace and a group of design researchers and practitioners across the United States. It was published in 1997 by NC State University, The Center for Visual Design. The Principles of Universal Design is an invaluable resource you can use to plan and guide your design process intelligently and is a foundation for designers who set out to create Universal Design products. The principles were created to guide a wide range of design disciplines including environments, products, and communications. You can apply these principles to any design style or trend; they are timeless and adaptable.
There are seven principles, and they all include guidelines with actionable approaches for Universal Design. Each principle captures a key concept. Whenever you are using the guidelines to plan and evaluate your design, an important thing to note is that sometimes only a few of the seven principles will be relevant to your current design. By following 7 principles, designers can design for all, building user-centered designs, developing solutions that accommodate the needs of as many users as possible. This means the design caters to people with a wide range of abilities, ages, backgrounds, physical and cognitive abilities. This means the design should be adaptable and accommodate flexibility for the user.
Here’s a breakdown of each principle:
1. Equitable Use
Equitable use is the first principle because it is the driver for accessibility. The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. The principle promotes you to think about all users, instead of only the target users.
Guidelines:
- 1a. Provide the same means of use for all users: identical whenever possible; equivalent when not.
- 1b. Avoid segregating or stigmatizing any users. You can avoid segregating or stigmatizing your users by designing color palettes with strong contrast. One of the common myths about accessibility is if you design for accessibility, then you would be sacrificing the visual design. This is incorrect.
- 1c. Provisions for privacy, security, and safety should be equally available to all users.
- 1d. Make the design appealing to all users.
Example: A museum that allows a visitor to choose to read or listen to a description of the contents of a display case employs this principle. A web page designed to be accessible to everyone, including users with visual impairments and those who use text-to-speech technology.
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Color blindness affects approximately 1 in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women (0.5%) in the world. Color blindness - deuteranomaly (red/green distinction). On the left are two pictures as seen by a person with "normal" vision. On the right, the same pictures are simulated as seen by a person with deuteranomaly.
2. Flexibility in Use
No one person is the same as another. A static and inflexible design will never be able to accommodate all users. The Flexibility in Use principle encourages flexible, adaptable and/or customizable design. The design is adaptable to many preferences and abilities.
Guidelines:
- 2a. Provide choice in methods of use.
- 2b. Accommodate right- or left-handed access and use.
- 2c. Facilitate the user's accuracy and precision.
- 2d. Provide adaptability to the user's pace.
Example: Dashboards are good examples for customization. Many enterprise systems and project management applications have customizable dashboards. Trello is a web-based project management application. It uses boards, lists and cards to help users to organize and prioritize their projects with flexibility. It offers a range of customizable dashboard options. A museum that allows visitors the choice to read or listen to a description of the items on display.
Customization is a technique to accommodate a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.
3. Simple and Intuitive Use
Simple and intuitive use is one of the goals of user experience design. It’s not surprising this is also one of the universal design principles. This principle aims to reduce complexity and mental or cognitive loads. The design is simple to use regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language abilities, or concentration level.
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Guidelines:
- 3a. Eliminate unnecessary complexity.
- 3b. Be consistent with user expectations and intuition.
- 3c. Accommodate a wide range of literacy and language skills.
- 3d. Arrange information consistent with its importance.
- 3e. Provide effective prompting and feedback during and after task completion.
Example: Progressive Disclosure is an interaction design technique. It reduces visual clutter and removes irrelevant information on the screen. It prioritizes information to display on the screen based on user needs and interactions. On top of that, it allows the user to drill in for more information, usually without a page load. On its pricing page, it uses progressive disclosure to display service plans. A remote control with buttons that are labeled with basic language and symbols that are easy to understand.
According to the cognitive load theory, humans can handle only 3-9 items in a short amount of time when processing information.
4. Perceptible Information
Information is critical to users. Whether it’s communicated via text, pictures, audio or videos, make sure the information is easy to digest and access. The design efficiently conveys important information regardless of ambient circumstances or the user’s sensory abilities.
Guidelines:
- 4a. Use different modes (pictorial, verbal, tactile) for redundant presentation of essential information.
- 4b. Provide adequate contrast between essential information and its surroundings.
- 4c. Maximize "legibility" of essential information.
- 4d. Differentiate elements in ways that can be described (i.e., make it easy to give instructions or directions).
- 4e. Provide compatibility with a variety of techniques or devices used by people with sensory limitations.
Example: Multimedia requires multisensory experiences, especially videos. People with hearing problems or language barriers have difficulty consuming information from videos. You can remove these barriers by providing video transcriptions and/or subtitles. Video transcriptions and subtitles add an alternative channel. They allow users to consume words and information from the video without relying on hearing. TED is a non-profit organization, which is dedicated to spreading ideas via short power talks. It also provides the option to select a language. That’s a huge service for the hearing-impaired user, and it’s a great service for everybody else who prefers to read instead of viewing and hearing videos. In turn, it’s also good for TED as they reach more users and increase their popularity. A video that provides both captions and audio.
In a digital context, this involves designing interfaces that can be used in multiple ways, aligning with user preferences. This could include allowing the customization of text size, color contrast, or the ability to navigate via keyboard or mouse. In physical and digital spaces, simple and intuitive navigation is an important universal design principle. The idea behind this principle is for a design to effectively relay critical information to users, taking into account different environmental conditions or individual sensory capabilities.
5. Tolerance for Error
When designing for accessibility, this is most often the case. This principle concerns the reduction of risks and mitigating the negative effects of inadvertent or unintended actions in a design. The design minimizes dangers and the negative consequences of unintentional or accidental activities.
"Human beings should only use technology which if the worst case happens, it leads to an acceptable damage. Definitely nuclear energy is not in that category. I want an industrial world where people are allowed to make errors. Because human creativity has to do with being allowed to make errors. Errors are inevitable amongst humans, hence the adage “to err is human”. error-friendly environment.
Guidelines:
- 5a. Arrange elements to minimize hazards and errors: most used elements, most accessible; hazardous elements eliminated, isolated, or shielded.
- 5b. Provide warnings of hazards and errors.
- 5c. Provide fail safe features.
- 5d. Discourage unconscious action in tasks that require vigilance.
Example: Form Validation minimizes and prevents user errors. 1. Input Format Validation - Make sure the user has used the correct format for an input field. 2. Data Validation - Check to make sure whether the data the user entered is in the correct context. 3. Server Validation - Input format validation and data validation are applied to a specific input field. Server validation sends all the data of a form to the server and checks for a correct data relationship. An educational software that offers instruction and context when a student answers a question incorrectly.
6. Low Physical Effort
We may not first associate physical efforts with using the web. Anyone can easily just sit down and use a mouse, but technology is now integrated and ubiquitous in workplaces. Many people are using their computers for eight or more hours to perform tasks at work. The amount of time we spend on our computers is taxing on our bodies. In fact, people with physical disability have even more difficulty with using the web than normal users do. For example, those with mobility issues may have a hard time moving the mouse to the desired target. This principle considers aspects of design that reduces the physical strain on users, particularly those with limited mobility or physical disabilities. The design allows for efficient and comfortable usage with little fatigue.
Guidelines:
- 6a. Allow user to maintain a neutral body position.
- 6b. Use reasonable operating forces.
- 6c. Minimize repetitive actions.
- 6d. Minimize sustained physical effort.
Example: Keyboard shortcuts reduce the need to move from the keyboard to the mouse for simple tasks. Most browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari provide keyboard shortcuts to perform tasks such as copy (Ctrl + C) and paste (Ctrl + V). You can design superb interactive experiences by adding appropriate keyboard shortcuts. Asana is a web-based project management platform. It allows teams to track and manage work items. Asana has a rich set of keyboard shortcuts. A sink faucet that automatically activates when a user places their hands underneath it.
7. Size and Space for Approach and Use
For product designers, their focus is on form factors such as the size of and space involved with the product. As you can see, most of the guidelines for this principle apply more to product and environmental design. This principle demonstrates the necessity for designs to offer suitable dimensions and spatial allowances, i.e. building restroom stalls that accommodate wheelchairs. The design provides appropriate size and space for approach, reach, manipulation, and usage regardless of body size, posture, or mobility of the user.
Guidelines:
- 7a. Provide a clear line of sight to important elements for any seated or standing user.
- 7b. Make reach to all components comfortable for any seated or standing user.
- 7c. Accommodate variations in hand and grip size.
- 7d. Provide adequate space for the use of assistive devices or personal assistance.
Example: A small target area can be a problem on mobile devices because it is more difficult to select with precision. According to an MIT Touch Lab study in 2003, the average size of a human adult index finger is 1.6 to 2 cm. Converting that, we have approximately 60-76 pixels on a digital screen. A desk that is readily usable for a person in a wheelchair.
Universal Design in Various Contexts
Technology
Globally, the exponential increase of technology-driven products has caused a paradigm shift. People depend on these items and services to do their jobs and carry out other everyday tasks in the home and the community. As a result, universal design has been making headway, and more products are designed with this philosophy in mind. Some examples of features that align with the universal design philosophy include:
- High contrast text to increase the readability of text on a screen by changing the colors to make them stand out better.
- Captions in videos to provide a text version of the speech and non-speech audio information required to understand the content on a screen.
- Text to audio functionality, also known as text-to-speech (TTS) technology, to translate text on a device into audio.
- The use of images and other mediums to present information and provide context in other digestible ways besides text.
Community
The key to an inclusive community is the universal design approach to make the public realm accessible to all people. Here are a few ways the universal design philosophy is used in the community:
- Envision Unlimited members provided feedback on design ideas, signs and symbols, interactive installations, interior design features, and furniture choices to the Art Institute’s Ryan Learning Center. This input from the I/DD community paved the way for renovations, enabling the Ryan Learning Center to provide a more inclusive learning experience.
- The Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Vanderbilt University’s Kennedy Center Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD), and Oregon State University’s STEM Research Center are working together to create a framework of inclusive practices for zoos and aquariums. According to the project’s creators, their approach may also help zoos and aquariums better serve other historically underrepresented communities.
- Some hotels, such as Noelle Nashville, provide accessible rooms to those who use wheelchairs. This Nashville hotel has roll-in showers with adequate grab bars in the bathroom, and the fitness facility, art gallery, boutique, restaurants, and bars are all accessible with a wheelchair.
Home
Universal design in housing consists of creating a home with elements that all people can use equally. This may mean spacious halls and doors for wheelchair users and no step-ups for those with mobility issues. In the bathroom, it could involve a zero-entry or barrier-free roll-in shower, roll-under sinks, and a tilting mirror that can accommodate both sitting and standing users.
According to AARP, the following design and decorating tips and techniques may help individuals with I/DD live more comfortably in community-based housing:
- Use muted colors: Muted colors relieve tension better than primary colors.
- Keep the noise low: Simple sounds can cause stress. Hanging a tapestry instead of a painting may help absorb some noise that could induce stress.
- Strive for simple spaces: Clutter-free, tidy environments can help prevent overstimulation.
- Provide benches for transitions: Transitions may be stressful. Sitting on a bench provides a few moments to process what’s coming next before going on their way.
Education
Universal design principles can be applied to many environments, products, and services, including learning environments, resources, and methods of instruction. Three principles have been established for the universal design of teaching and learning materials and activities that makes the learning goals achievable by individuals with diverse characteristics, including wide differences in abilities to see, hear, speak, move, read, write, understand English, attend, organize, engage, and remember. Universal design for learning (UDL) is achieved by means of flexible curricular materials and activities that provide alternatives for students with differing abilities. These alternatives are built into the instructional design and operating systems of educational materials-they are not added on after-the-fact.
The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) created a set of three principles with roots in cognitive neuroscience to underpin practices and curriculum for teaching and learning. The UDL principles are listed below:
- Multiple means of engagement. For purposeful, motivated learners, stimulate interest and motivation for learning. UDL guidelines under this principle promote the development of curriculum and instruction that includes options for perception; language, expressions, and symbolism; and comprehension.
- Multiple means of representation. For resourceful, knowledgeable learners, present information and content in different ways. UDL guidelines under this principle promote the development of curriculum and instruction that includes options for physical action, expressive skills and fluency, and executive functions.
- Multiple means of action and expression. For strategic, goal-directed learners, differentiate the ways that students can express what they know. UDL guidelines under this principle promote the development of curriculum and instruction that includes options for recruiting interest, sustaining effort and persistence, and self-regulation.
Universal Design vs. Accommodations
Universal design includes all people in its concept. Unlike providing accommodations, which is a reactive process, universal design is an iterative process based on providing a design that can be used by anyone, regardless of their capabilities. The philosophy of universal design promotes equality and inclusivity and aspires to go above basic criteria to serve a diverse group of people.
While meeting these compliance standards is key, the philosophy of universal design extends beyond adhering to legal requirements. Universal design begins at the start of any design project. It should be a practice and a commitment to creating products that are usable and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of their disabilities.
International Standards and Legal Frameworks
The most important international work on accessibility is the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD). We refer to it as the Convention by lawmakers and the disability community. It is the first major human rights treaty of the 21st century, and it protects the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. It calls for the removal of environmental and attitudinal barriers in physical and digital spaces. The United Nations (U.N.) adopted the CRPD in 2007. The Convention listed Universal Design as one of the general obligations to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. - U.N.
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