Low Physical Effort

The Basics

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.

In Depth

This illustration an example of a situation violating the principle of low physical. The steep ramp does not meet the standards of universal design, as it requires a great amount of strength to go up the ramp. People that are walking and biking will also have to acquire extra effort to reach the top of the ramp.

Examples

Automatic soap dispensers don't require strength to operate because they're automatically activated.
Lever handles can be opened with closed hands (holding items) and without the need of a strong grip, whereas circular handles can't.