by Sooshin Choi

Reprinted with permission of the author

Contents 1 Abstract 2 1. Introduction 3 2. Industrial Design 4 3. History of Design and Diverse Society 5 4. Universal Design: It’s concept and principles 6 5. Design for Everyone 7 6. Examples of successful universal design product 8 7. The opportunity of Universal Design 9 8. The Education of Universal Design 10 9. Conclusion 10.1 References 10.2 Bibliography

Abstract

Industrial design makes our everyday things beautiful and useful for people … only if the user is able to use them. Incredible number of products and environment are designed only for the able-bodied or people with close-to-perfect capabilities. Consequently, many people with physical, mental, cultural, age, gender, educational, economical differences suffer from exclusion from society. There are many reasons why industrial design was not promoting universality of products.

In a diverse society where people with many different needs, capabilities, and limitations live and share together, providing products and environment suitable for everyone is crucial. For this purpose, universal design should be taught and practiced within product development process.

The paper will introduce the meaning and value of universal design, its status quo of education and practice, and its future for everyone’s everyday.

1. Introduction

Universal design has been conceptualized as a response to several social needs, such as changing demographics, human right, and barrier-free and accessible society. Many designers, educators, and corporations have been working towards the accessible community. However, there are still huge barriers among many differently-able people. Designs for differently-able people often have social stigma embedded in themselves, making their users feel they are segregated from society. In this case, the product is segregating the user from others.

The universal design products will benefit the users with many different abilities, limitations, and needs. The products will also benefit manufacturers by expanding the market and finding niche market opportunity. Designers’ new challenge is how to design products that are usable, enjoyable no matter how the user is different from others. The goal is to design our environment accessible and equal by universal design.

2. Industrial Design

According to the Industrial Designers Society of America or ISDA, Industrial design (ID) is the professional service of creating and developing concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value and appearance of products and systems for the mutual benefit of both user and manufacturer.¹

Industry develops products to provide benefit to users and profit to the company. Most companies focus at the major user segment to maximize the business, and it often excludes people with various limitations from use of the product.

This means successful products and systems should possess the function, value, and appearance that satisfy demand from users. Many products, such as the original Volkswagen Beetle, derived from good concepts and developed into a good specification. The concept of Volkswagen Beetle was to give practical and reliable vehicle for family who would travel on Autobahn for a vacation. The specification was a clam shell shape vehicle with an air-cooled engine. The concept and the specification were logically matched, so the product became a timeless good design.

3. History of Design and Diverse Society

Industrial art or industrial design began when William Morris started the Arts and Craft movement. Morris was an architect, and designed wall papers and textiles to introduce beauty to living space. Until then, arts and crafts were exclusively possessed by rich and royal people. Morris wanted to make ordinary people’s life more elegant and pleasing. In 1880, influenced by Ruskin’s idea that joy should be evident in every product, Morris said “I don’t want art for a few, any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few.” However, due to the lack of mass production, his designs were still accepted by a limited population.²

Modern industrial design was ignited when the industrial revolution became active, such as Henry Ford’s automation, the products need to be designed more suitable for mass production. While the Ford Model-T achieved the popularization of the automobile, General Motors personalization of design. Sparke wrote in her book Design in Context, “The Modernist principle of ‘unity in diversity’ was replaced by its reverse – ‘diversity in unity’ in this market-led approach to design.³ This changes industry’s focus from manufacturing to marketing, and General Motors was one of companies saw this. The first industrial designers hired to General Motors in 1927.

When the mass production gets more and more popular and mass consumption creates concerns of environmental conservation, the idea of sustainability or ecology friendliness became an important issue. Terms such as eco-friendly design or ecology design were coined and many products were designed to recycled or manufactured using recycled materials. Two oil shocks in 1970s accelerated this movement.

During the World Wars and in 1980s, the usability becomes very important issue to make products more reliable and to reduce product defect. This would benefit both manufacturers and users. ‘User-centered design’ emphasizes that understanding users is the driving force behind all design.⁴ This still focuses on the ‘average’ users or the ‘target’ users, leaving other users excluded.
As result of the globalism and changing demographics, and the equal human right movement, the notion of barrier-free design has started in 50s and 60s. This was also backed by assistive technology and the rehabilitation engineering. A number of legislations such as The Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Education for Handicapped Children Act of 1975, and The Americans with Disabilities Act (or ADA) of 1990 established better accessibility and affordability in society. ⁵ The term ‘universal design’ created as an extension of ideas and concepts to design and provide full access to the maximum number of people regardless of the limitations and barriers.

4. Universal Design: It’s concept and principles

To support the diverse society, where all people with differences are accepted to share and enjoy quality of life, universal design should be applied and practiced to all products and environments. Given the fact that almost all products are designed for the able-bodied, able-to-consume people, many aged, minor, physically or mentally challenged, less educated users are kept out from the target users.

A good example will be round door knobs. The door knobs require a free hand with a grip strong enough to hold and turn the knob. If a person has weak grip, oily hand, or holding a large bag, the door will not open for the person. The door knob is designed for average and able-bodied user, and it excludes people who do not have proper hands to use it.

According to Ronald Mace who coined the term, universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.⁶ From this notion, a set of principle of universal design has made by a group of universal design educators in the USA in 1997. The principle includes seven key aspects of universal design which are:

Principle 1: Equitable Use
The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.
  GUIDELINES
- Provide the same means of use for all users: identical whenever possible; equivalent when not.
- Avoid segregating or stigmatizing any users.
- Provisions for privacy, security, and safety should be equally available to all users.
- Make the design appealing to all users.

Principle 2: Flexibility in Use
The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences & abilities.
  GUIDELINES
- Provide choice in methods of use.
- Accommodate right- or left-handed access and use.
- Facilitate the user's accuracy and precision.
- Provide adaptability to the user's pace.

Principle 3: Simple & Intuitive
Use of the design is easy to understand.
  GUIDELINES
- Eliminate unnecessary complexity.
- Be consistent with user expectations and intuition.
- Accommodate a wide range of literacy and language skills.
- Arrange information consistent with its importance.
- Provide effective prompting and feedback during and after task completion.

Principle 4: Perceptible Information
The design communicates info effectively, despite conditions or the sensory abilities.
  GUIDELINES
- Use different modes (pictorial, verbal, tactile) for redundant presentation of essential information.
- Provide adequate contrast between essential information and its surroundings.
- Maximize "legibility" of essential information.
- Differentiate elements in ways that can be described (i.e., make it easy to give instructions or directions).
- Provide compatibility with a variety of techniques or devices used by people with sensory limitations.

Principle 5: Tolerance for Error
The design minimizes hazards & the consequences of accidental actions.
  GUIDELINES
- Arrange elements to minimize hazards and errors: most used elements, most accessible; hazardous elements eliminated, isolated, or shielded.
- Provide warnings of hazards and errors.
- Provide fail safe features.
- Discourage unconscious action in tasks that require vigilance.

Principle 6: Low Physical Effort
The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue.
  GUIDELINES
- Allow user to maintain a neutral body position.
- Use reasonable operating forces.
- Minimize repetitive actions.
- Minimize sustained physical effort

Principle 7: Size and Space for Approach and Use
Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of user's body size, posture, or mobility.
  GUIDELINES
- Provide a clear line of sight to important elements for any seated or standing user.
- Make reach to all components comfortable for any seated or standing user.
- Accommodate variations in hand and grip size.
- Provide adequate space for the use of assistive devices or personal assistance.

5. Design for Everyone

While general industrial design sees the people where the target users are, universal design is concern about diverse people.

6. Examples of successful universal design product

There are already a number of successful products that are using universal design as a key factor of success. Some manufacturers even do not realize they are successful because of the universality of the product. If such companies are aware of what they have been doing, and if other companies can see the strategic value of universal design, many products will benefit business and users.

6-1 Oxo Good Grip product ranges
While possessing same or similar functionalities, Oxo Good Grip products created new niche in kitchenware market and benefit many people with or without special needs. Although it was priced higher than others, its universal design made it an initial success, which is followed by a number of products from Oxo. The design of handle is simple enough to understand how to use it, friendly to any kinds of hand – small, large, with or without arthritis, weak or not, wet or dry. It also looks pretty. All together, it makes a good example of how universal design products can benefit users as well as the industry.

Among the principle of UD, the design of Oxo Good Grips meets specifically two principles – Equitable Use and Low Physical Effort.

6-2 Apple Computer
Apple Computer has been a great example of how design can create a strong value. Among many computer manufacturers, Apple Computer has most loyal users to their product – hardware and software. The reason behind the success can be found in many places including universal design. Since Macintosh computers and Mac OS were introduced, users did not have to learn computer languages and needed no specific computer knowledge. Users with or without the knowledge and experience on computer, Apple’s computer provide most needed functionalities, and this makes a perfect universal design. For example, an iMac computer can be used by old or young, intelligent or illiterate, a professional or a novice, male or female.

Interestingly, Apple Computer never claimed that they are producing the most universal hardware and software. However, Apple Computer set a standard of universality in personal computer, and many others follow the standard. Some company “copied” Apple computers’ colors and forms, but they were only the skin. The real value is the universality of Apple’s product, which people appreciate even without knowing about the universal design.

Among the principle of UD, Apple iMac and the Mac OS meet specifically three principles – Equitable Use, Simple and Intuitive, and Tolerance for Error.

6-2 National Electric “Slant Drum” Washing machine
Washing machines come in two different configurations – top loading and side loading depending on the motor and drum structure. If the user is short, a child, or a wheelchair user, using the top loading type is not comfortable or even impossible, especially when the laundry is wet and heavy. If the user is tall or with a back pain, the side loading type is cumbersome or adds the pain.

National Electric developed a washing machine to solve this problem by slanting the drum and the door by 30 degree. The result is an easy to load and unload design for any age range and physical capabilities.

Among the principle of UD, the washing machine design meets specifically two principles – Equitable Use and Low Physical Effort.

7. The opportunity of Universal Design

Universal design is not only right, but beneficial to many stakeholders. There is no question about benefits towards users, especially who used to suffer from exclusively designed products. However, without a strong motivation for manufacturers and businesses, it will never be realized.

In architecture field, there are laws such as ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) in the USA forces public buildings to comply with such regulations. Unfortunately, there is neither such law nor regulations in product development. That has been a greatest drag for universal design products being developed.

While products usually developed in focus on the ‘target’ users, adapting universal design will give manufacturers a chance to expand and widen the market segment in many dimensions. If a product is being planned for able-boded, educated, affordable, local user group, develop the design for less able-boded (make controls larger, for example), less educated (use pictograms instead of words), less affordable (finding low cost manufacturing process), global (make it suitable in different culture, market, and climate) will help the market grow. The examples of Good Grips and iMac will be good examples.

8. The Education of Universal Design

A number of universities teach universal design in their curriculum of architecture design. But it is not taught enough in industrial design programs. University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, infused the pedagogy of universal design into the industrial design curriculum.

The main curricular structure is consists of three phases – introduction, practice, and mastery. The concept of universal design is taught as a part of theory of industrial design and the methods is taught in the human factors class. In the design studio classes, students develop universal design products. When students are doing intern or collaborative projects with industrial partners, they get a chance to apply universal design to real design problems.

An example is shown below. Chris Harsacky, a junior student at UC discovered problems in common shaving cream dispenser. It needs strong hold of the can, forceful push on the nozzle button. Many users use it in the shower, and it makes the use even tough or messy. While it may sound not serious, but this may lead to an unpleasant experience in a morning and could result in an accident. If a manufacturer develops a dispenser for users with special needs, it will raise its cost due to limited number of production, and thus many people could not use it. So the application of universal design was necessary for diverse users who need same quality of life.

First, he selected three extremely diverse users – a weak and small female, an old male suffering from arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease, and a blind male. They all use shaving cream, but most dispensers are not designed for them.

Second, he evaluated current products using observation and the universal design performance measure for products⁷. Product design opportunities were found from this analysis by discovering weak points. For example, the sample received lowest rating in the item 6B, “This product can be used by someone who is weak or tired,” and this is an opportunity to design better dispenser.

Third, he developed several design alternatives including two potential ones as shown figure 9. The first one is as a self standing container with a large button on the top with a nozzle. Second one is hung on the shower head and the U-shaped lever releases the cream.

After he evaluated study models of the designs, he developed the final design, which can be hung around the shower head, towel rack, or suction mounted on the wall or a mirror. A large colored button with Braille releases the cream through a tip at the bottom. The result is a useful and beautiful product that can be used by many differently- able users as well as able-bodied people.

9. Conclusion

Diversity is a mainstream of modern world and it is a phenomenon in many different layers of society. To build a society for people with different needs, desires, characteristics, cultures, languages industrial design can play a very important role, as it is a core part of product development. Unfortunately, current paradigm of industrial design has a limitation as it focuses on limited segment of market. Universal design, a new paradigm in industrial design can solve these problems by advocating benefits to users and manufacturers at the same time.

There are road blocks in this scenario and they are due to lack of understanding of universal design. Through correct and active education and motivation for manufacturers, the people in diverse society will be able to enjoy their quality of life. Many countries, such as the USA, Japan, U.K., Korea, promote universal design through conferences, exhibitions, and symposia, and a growing number of universities provide educational opportunities. An increasing number of manufacturers worldwide begin developing universal design and experience success from it. It is also users’ responsibility to select and demand more universal products in the market, as such products will eventually lower the cost and raise the usage of the product. The goal is to turn social problems into opportunities to bring more ideal social environment closer.

References

¹ Industrial Designers Society of America, http://www.idsa.org
² Sparke, Penny, Design in Context, London: Bloomsbury, 1991, p.p. 67-70
³ Sparke, Penny, Design in Context, London: Bloomsbury, 1991, p.p. 110
⁴ Vredenberg, Karel, et al, User-centered design: An Integrated Approaches, Prentice Hall PTR, p.p. 28
⁵The Center for Universal Design, http://www.design.ncsu.edu
⁶ The Center for Universal Design, http://www.design.ncsu.edu
⁷ http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/pdf_files/UDPMD.pdf

Bibliography

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