Industrial designers
Why should universal design be important to you as an industrial designer?
"Accessibility is about designing user interfaces so that more people can use your product effectively in more situations. "
- Henry, S.L.
The design does not only assist individuals with impairments, it can also be beneficial to others without. It is a smart thing to do to incorporate these designs in for it helps its user to reduce fatigue, number of errors made, learning time, and also increase their speed.
There are 4 approaches to make products more accessible:
Direct Accessibility is considered as one of the best approach out of the group. By including features for individuals with disabilities to the initial product, the original item itself is accessible right from the package.
Design Parameters
What are some methods to make products accessible to all users?
Compatibility with third party assistive devices:
a) Special interfaces or accessories should be considered when direct accessibility does not work for those who have multiple disabilities or for mass market with various range and type of disabilities.
b) General purpose assistive devices can be regarded when the individual already have an assistive device. Take into consideration the difficulty to connect assistive devices to existing standard products, such as a person with artificial hands who wants to be able to use the handles on appliance doors. This can be easily resolved by the cooperation between the mass and the assistive device manufacturers to create a built-in or standard product with a connection point (connectors or an infrared link).
Accessibility via Standard options or accessories (from the manufacturer) is an alternative option when direct accessibility may not be possible. To consider including features to accommodate all types of impairments may not be practical due to costs, or awkwardness as a standard product. To resolve this; consider making it an add-on option or accessory from the manufacturer. It can be considered as an extra-cost, special order, or free on request.
Facilitation of Custom Modifications is most appropriate in cases when other approaches are uneconomical or impractical with individuals with a combination or severe impairment. The solution would be to create custom modifications of the product whether they are by the product manufacturer or a third-party.