We touched on the subject of ‘universal design’ in our recent post on Barrier-Free Living in Ontario, and thought it might be interesting to go into the principal with greater depth. So, what exactly is ‘universal design’?

To use the definition provided by The Institute for Human Centred Design, universal, or inclusive, design can be defined as “the design of products, environments, and communication to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without adaptation or specialized design”. This simple definition houses a simple, yet incredibly important idea. The adoption of universal design signifies more than an acceptance of equality across all members of society; it recognises the importance of equitable living, without the need for distinction or paternalism.

Two key factors contributed to the growth in popularity of universal design. Firstly, more and more people are living with a greater range of disabilities. Secondly, we are living in an ageing population, and it’s not getting any younger! Making accessible design the norm rather than the exception makes a lot of sense given these two facts.

The Institute of Human Centred Design lists the seven principals of universal design as the following:

1. Equitable Use – the design does not single out a group or groups of individuals in any particular way.
2. Flexibility in Use – lots of different people can use the design in lots of different ways, according to their needs and wants.
3. Simple, Intuitive Use – the design shouldn’t take any expertise or particular skills to use to optimum performance.
4. Perceptible Information – the lines of communication between the design and the user are as clear as possible,

• Tolerance For Error – if something goes wrong, the design will not break easily or become dangerous to use.

1. Low Physical Effort – the design can be used by anyone, despite their current energy or strength levels.
2. Size and Space for Approach & Use – the design is accessible and usable for anyone, regardless of their size, posture or mobility.

Although the phrase ‘universal design’ has been around for about 50 years, it has only become mainstream recently, so do look out for it! We promote these principals in our company through, for example, in our holistic handicap shower designs.