FUNDAMENTALS OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN
In last month’s newsletter, we talked about how successful wayfinding is inclusive wayfinding. Understanding the audience is key to inclusivity and utilizing the principles of Universal Design can also increase the opportunity for wayfinding to work for users.
The essence of Universal Design is a design process that ensures that a product or environment is equally accessible to the greatest number of users, seamlessly addressing their diverse array of needs. Though its roots can be traced back through the last century of US disability rights movements, the official name and definition of Universal Design as we know it today was coined in the nineties by architect Ron Mace at the North Carolina State University College of Design.
Universal Design is important for us all – one in four Americans has a disability, and many more of us will experience temporary periods of disability in our lifetime, whether it’s from a broken bone or because we forgot our glasses. You encounter the benefits of Universal Design in your everyday life, perhaps without even knowing it.
One of the best-known examples is the curb-cut, a design element that is ubiquitous in American cities today. This was a result of decades of activism led by disability rights groups, preceding the moniker “universal design.” The simple design of a sloping sidewalk to meet street level provides ease of access for not only individuals in wheelchairs, but also those pushing strollers or wheeling luggage, benefiting even more people than originally intended.
SEVEN PRINCIPLES
Issued in 1997 by Ron Mace and other advocates of Universal Design
- Equitable Use The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.
- Flexibility in Use The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.
- Simple and Intuitive Use Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level.
- Perceptible Information The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities.
- Tolerance for Error The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.
- Low Physical Effort The design can be used efficiently and comfortably, and with a minimum of fatigue.
- Size and Space for Approach and Use Appropriate size and space are provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of the user’s body size, posture, or mobility.
BEYOND THE ADA
The modern disability rights movement can be traced back to the barrier-free movement of the 1950s, when veterans began lobbying for architectural design that would improve access for people with limited mobility. The movement was galvanized in the following decades and after exhaustive efforts in the face of governmental resistance, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was finally signed into law in 1990. The ADA is truly a watershed moment in ensuring equity for those with disabilities, and it is a cornerstone of architectural and wayfinding design today. It requires by law certain wayfinding elements such as the use of icons, braille, mounting heights, and text heights so that signage is accessible for those who have low or no vision. Though the ADA and its amendments ensure a basic standard for accessibility, good wayfinding goes beyond these requirements to make access truly universal.
For example, Universal Design in wayfinding could include elements like color-coding information so that users who see a certain color know that they are heading for a certain destination. Contrast can also play a big role as white letters on a dark background are easier for those with low vision to see. Audible signs are helpful in locations where ambient noise does not prevent the message from being heard, and wayfinding apps with live guidance are gaining traction. As Universal Design becomes the standard for good design, we can envision a world where barriers to access are a thing of the past.