What is inclusive design?
The basic idea is very simple. It is that products and services should be designed to be easily usable by as many people as possible. In particular inclusive design aims to meet the needs of people who have been unable to use mainstream products because of age or disability. This seems pure common sense and hardly worth further discussion. However there is no shortage of products which are designed around some notional idea of what can be used by fit young people, and which consequently shut out everyone else.
Examples of inclusive design
- Dropped kerbs,
- Speech recognition on mobile phones,
- Automatic doors,
- Door lever instead of a door knob,
- Scissor handles which shape themselves to your hand when heated
- Washing machine with Braille markings,
- Low shelves and shallow trolleys in supermarkets,
- Automatic everything on cars gears, windows, wing mirrors, central locking, adjustable seats,
Picture shows tactile dropped paving at pedestrian crossing.
Confusion of terms
Although the basic idea is uncomplicated, it has become confused by a family of terms and definitions. Labels such as barrier-free design, universal design and transgenerational design have developed alongside a growing literature on the subject. These have overlapping definitions which have not been used with any consistency. However this paper is more concerned with the consensus of agreement these ideas share than it is with the differences between them. The Centre for Universal Design definition of universal design lists some core aims (see below). Inclusive design shares these objectives, but also focuses on strategies for achieving them.
Principles of universal design
1. Equitable the design should be usable by people with diverse abilities and should appeal to all users.
2. Flexible the design should cater for a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. This may mean some choice in methods of use (such as right or left handed access).
3. Simple and intuitive use of the design should be easy to understand, regardless of the experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level.
4. Perceptible the design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the users sensory abilities.
5. Tolerance for error the design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.
6. Low physical effort the design can be used efficiently and comfortably with a minimum of fatigue.
7. Size and space for approach and use appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of users body size, posture, or mobility.
(Information from: Centre for Universal Design)
A practical process
One of the most basic principles of inclusive design is that it is rooted in a real understanding of the real needs of consumers, including those who are normally excluded by poor design. It follows that successful designs will be based on first hand consultation and involvement with potential users. In practice this means working with older or disabled people through all the stages of a products development. This not only brings the product within the reach of these consumers, but also has the welcome effect of leading to designs and features which are attractive to everyone else. For all these reasons, inclusive design is essentially a practical process. It is not a set of finite rules which can be applied like sticking plaster, but an approach which needs to be an integral part of product development, from the start.
One designer Richard Seymour points out that it is
"crucially important to begin with the end user, whose idea was it that a bra should fasten at the back, what meathead decided to put anti-arthritis pills in a childproof container? Or put the instructions for an emergency eye-wash bottle in 6 point type?"
From Peto James (ed), Design: Process, Progress, Practice, The Design Museum, London 1999.
Desirable products
Inclusively designed products need to be genuinely desirable. The idea is not to end up with things which are easy to use but utilitarian and uninspiring. Inclusive products need to chime in with consumers lifestyles and aspirations just like any other product. It follows that inclusive design does not conflict with any of the principles of good design. Ricability would argue that inclusive design is a necessary feature of all good design.
A creative approach
"The concept of Universal Design goes beyond the mere provision of special features for various segments of the population. Instead it emphasises a creative approach that is more inclusive, one that asks at the outset of the design process how a product, graphic communication, building, or public space can be made both aesthetically pleasing and functional for the greatest number of users. Designs resulting from this approach serve a wider array of people including individuals with temporary or permanent disabilities, parents with small children, and everyone whose abilities change with age."
Jane Alexander, Strategies for teaching universal design, taken from Hubert Froyen, Crisp &Clear, Number 4, European Institute of Design and Disability, 2000.
Fewer adaptations
Inclusive design aims for products which are usable by as many people as possible without obliging them to make any special effort or add on adaptations. Even so, it is likely that there will always be some people who remain unable to use a product because of the nature of their impairment. Better design and more innovation should mean that fewer people are excluded for this reason. However, products which are designed to inclusive design principles will also be compatible with extra attachments where these are needed. It should also ensure that these attachments have the appeal and style of the products they are to be used with.
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