A priority-based approach for satisfying the diverse users’ needs, capabilities and expectations: a universal kitchen design case

This project aimed to scope existing methods of evaluating the application of universal design to built environments and to explore relevant knowledge of key stakeholders, such as architects, access consultants and people who experience disability. The project commenced in 2017. Ethics approval was gained and a mixed methods approach was employed. Methods of data collection included electronic survey and in-depth interview. Early survey findings are reported in this paper. A descriptive approach was used to analyse quantitative data. A total of 157 survey responses were received from across Australia (83%) and internationally (16.6%). Preliminary findings indicate that most survey respondents (72%) had been involved in the process of applying universal design to the design of built environments. Although evaluating the application of universal design was rated as "extremely important" by 85% of respondents, only 36% had such experience. Of these, 74% had used specific tools for this purpose. Non-standardised checklists and access audits were the most frequently used and preferred tools. Overall, stakeholders perceived themselves to have 'some knowledge' on universal design theory and application. This project offers insight into how universal design is understood and applied to the design of built environments. Findings suggest that evaluation is less common than application and that there is a need to strengthen existing methods of evaluation to provide greater detail on universal design processes and outcomes.

The aging population is growing drastically all over the world. With the advent of the global era, universal design is garnering considerable interest, as the number of multicultural families is increasing, and various user classes are being created. In addition, with the advances in construction technology, architectural design is becoming more diverse, and convenience facilities are also getting distributed in various ways. As a result, more buildings need to apply universal design, indicating that various architectural information and universal design for the user class are required. Various data are needed for universal design evaluation, but there is a limit to evaluating with two-dimensional (2D) drawings. However, the limitations of 2D drawings can be overcome via building information modeling (BIM) combined with architectural data, which remarkably simplifies the universal design evaluation. This study was conducted with the aim to analyze architectural information by extracting architectural elements necessary for universal design evaluation from BIM data. It was confirmed that the calculations for universal design evaluation can be performed by 3D shape or attribute analysis using BIM data and computer programming. In order to create an automated evaluation algorithm for universal design, the evaluation methods were classified according to the universal design evaluation guide, based on building users and user diversity. In addition, even if the evaluation methods were the same by location, different points were classified by location, and evaluation items and information necessary for the evaluation were organized by category for each facility. Through this classification, we created an algorithm with seven types of methods for extracting the BIM data and comparing them by evaluation method for an automated analysis. In addition, an analysis was performed directly on the BIM design sample model using an automated evaluation algorithm. Although there were various architectural objects in the design data, evaluation was possible using algorithms. By applying the universal design evaluation and BIM data evaluation methods, we could confirm that the BIM-based universal design automation evaluation method prevents human error and is thus superior to the existing evaluation methods. Further, the automation evaluation method can contribute to BIM activation as the BIM data can be used in various studies such as design certification evaluation and automation analysis.

Purpose To synthesise current literature regarding applications of universal design (UD) to built environments that promote social participation, identify areas of agreement and areas requiring further attention and development. Occupations refer to personally meaningful activities, which people need, want or must do as part of their daily life. Materials and methods Recently published literature (January 2011–December 2017) relevant to UD and built environments, and pertaining to any discipline or professional area, were identified via a systematic search of databases in the EbscoHOST platform. The person–environment–occupation (PEO) model was chosen as a theoretical framework for the review, which included a sample of 33 peer reviewed journal articles. Results The current discourse is driven more by description, discussion, and commentary than empirical approaches; although, a combination of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches was employed. Much of the current discourse on UD and the built environment focuses on the person and the environment, with the occupations carried out in built environments and the interaction between these domains not referred to in much detail. Conclusions Including occupations, social participation, multi- and trans-disciplinary collaboration, and multicultural perspectives in the ongoing discourse around UD would enable the concept to reach its full potential as a medium for social justice. Implications for Rehabilitation The universal design (UD) process must account for the occupations that people perform in the built environment. Multi-disciplinary research and development, using multiple methods, is the most appropriate approach to investigate the application of UD to the built environment. Key areas of contention within the current discourse include meaningful inclusion of non-professional stakeholders, tensions between embracing and eliminating diversity and how professional education should be delivered.

<div class="htmlview paragraph">Several research institutions and universities have taken on the challenge of providing solutions for accessible and universally designed workplace accommodations with a focus on people with disabilities. Accessible Design is a subset of what is termed Universal Design. Where Universal Design covers the design of products, systems and environments for all people and encompasses all design principles, Accessible Design focuses on principles that extend the standard design process to those people with some type of performance limitation. In order for individuals with disabiltities to gain better access to the work environments and the products that facilitate independence, health, safety, and social participation a multi-disciplined approach to the research is needed to identify needs and challenges of the targeted population.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Georgia Institute of Technology and its Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA) were participants in CAESAR the surface anthropometric data collection project. Data from both the CAESAR study and research generated from the Anthropometry for the Disabled project from SUNY Buffalo as well as principle of Universal Design developed at the University of North Carolina will be utilized to supplement activities for a recent grant received by CATEA to assist people with disabilities in the workplace. In keeping with President Bush's New Freedom Initiative to promote full access to community life for all Americans, Karen Milchus principle investigator for the Workplace Accommodations research grant says, (qtd. In Georgia Tech's “The Whistle”)</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph"> <div class="quote"> <div class="htmlview paragraph">“The primary objective of the research is to identify, design and develop new assistive devices and universally designed technologies that will enable all individuals, particularly those with disabilties, to achieve the greatest degree of independence and integration in the workplace.”</div> </div> </div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The Center provides the expertise and information needed to assess and understand the requirements for people with disabiltities in the workplace. The evaluation of existing workplace products and services and archival studies of successful or unsucessful employment outcomes are a small sampling of the research being implemented in the project. Another area of focus will be showing designers how accessible features can be incorporated into their mainstream workplace products so that all emplyees can benefit from them while improving their productivity. Improving the effectiveness of the research through the use of new tools is key to the project. Some of the initial projects include the use of computer human modeling and anthropometry which offers significant benefits through analyses of the workplace accomodations for people with disabiltities. In the creation of DHM manikins for those with disabilties certain adaptations and new developments that incorporate characteristics and attributes of users with disabilities will be outlined in this research. Current off the shelf DHM tools are being evaluated for effectiveness in meeting the needs of a project of this scope. Moreover, this project will help to identify needs and features of DHM tools that are designed to address issues involving disability. Assessing human performance and evaluating tasks through simulations will be a critical component and advantage through the use DHM software tools. It is important to discuss the limitations of current off the shelf DHM software tools in addressing the needs of the disabled. The Workplace Accommodations project is ongoing and will be for the next five years. The recommendations and resulting developments will generate new bodies of research, products and tools to address the Universal Design of Workplace Accommodations. Using DELMIA's Human Modeling Solution V5R9, NexGen, Anthropos, and Surface Scan data in preliminary evaluations confirms the contributions that DHM plays in meeting the goals of this project. I will discuss establishing a methodology needed to understand issues of those with physical limitations while focusing on needs and adaptations of DHM manikins that are based on anthropometrics data gathered from a pool of subjects with varying attributes and characteristics representative of those with disabilities.</div>

Purpose: Studies suggest that the concept of universal design (UD) is not widely accepted and that some of its ideas are received rather sceptically. This article confronts the concept of UD with prevailing notions and practices of design. It examines how UD can be situated relative to design in general, and explores whether elements in the nature of design can help us explain this scepticism. Methods: The article confronts writings about how design is understood with the concept and ideas of UD. This confrontation is substantiated with examples from studies of design processes in architectural design practice. Results: The confrontation highlights the ambiguity of how UD is framed and presented, ranging from an attitude over something utopian to a normative design domain. Conclusions: (1) Besides UD other attitudes are thinkable that address the diversity in human abilities and conditions. (2) The impossibility to really design for everyone may be inherent to design rather than characteristic of UD. (3) Even if UD as a normative design domain were a top priority, the question remains how to assess whether a design is universally usable given the nature of design (problems), and prevailing design practices.Implications for RehabilitationUnderstanding disability as originating in the interaction between features of an individual's body and features of his/her environment, as universal design does, implies that rehabilitation specialists need to consider the context in which a person lives.Besides striving for independence, self-reliance and individualism, rehabilitation specialists may consider other attitudes to address the diversity in human abilities and conditions.Designers do not have direct access to the perspective of the people they design for. Assessing whether a design is universally accessible may benefit from expertise of rehabilitation specialists.

Nusantara Student Dormitory is a dormitory with various supporting activities, such as assembly, sports, national defense activities and other activities that have a lot of space to accommodate these activities, so that the movement of occupant circulation is quite large, therefore it is necessary to apply universal design to be able to make occupant accessibility more comfortable. The purpose of this study is to determine the accessibility conditions, space, and facilities that can support various student activities and adjust to applicable universal design regulations. This study uses a qualitative approach with the methods used are observation, survey, and visual data analysis by comparing the survey results with applicable theories and regulations. The results of this study show the application of universal architecture in accordance with the theory or principles and standards that can make occupants comfortable when doing activities, so that later the application of universal design principles in the Nusantara Student Dormitory can be improved so that it can become a comfortable place in terms of accessibility for its occupants so that it allows its occupants to carry out all existing activities.

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) present the opportunity to increase the passengers' comfort during the rides and help persons with impairments make daily transportation independently. However, in order to make full use of these advantages, a new design approach is needed for developing AV models. This paper aims to present a specific approach in the design process and ergonomic evaluation of an inclusive AV interior. The used approach of combining vehicle standards and regulations, ergonomic and anthropometric data, with user requirements, inclusive principles and universal design is explained in detail. In addition, virtual ergonomic evaluations are conducted in order to examine the success of applying the ergonomic and inclusive approach. The results emphasize the benefits of virtual ergonomic tools for successful ergonomic assessments.

Purpose Co-design aims to strengthen design outcomes by meaningfully engaging users in design processes. To enhance architectural accessibility, there is increased interest in engaging people with disability in co-design processes. However, little is known about how co-design is implemented in the design of large-scale public buildings, what outcomes are achieved and what factors influence the meaningful participation of people with disability in architectural co-design. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was employed to explore stakeholder perspectives on a co-design initiative undertaken to enhance the universal design of a civic precinct in Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants – five architects, three City Council employees and one Council Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee member. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. This approach identified key themes that encapsulated participants’ experiences and perceptions of co-design with people with disability to enhance the universal design of a public building. Findings Four overarching themes were identified from the analysis: (1) Co-design is shaped by those involved; (2) Co-design must be meaningful and inclusive; (3) Co-design and universal design must be prioritised throughout design stages; and (4) Co-design leads to improved design and capacity building. Originality/value This study contributes new knowledge about the practice of co-design in the context of large-scale public architecture. It provides valuable insight into the experiences of architects, people with disability and local government stakeholders, revealing both the complexities and potential of inclusive co-design. Findings also suggest a reciprocal relationship between universal design and co-design whereby application of one approach may strengthen application of the other.

Universal Design is now a global term, used to design a product or an environment which will be usable by large number of people without having a specialized design. However, accessible design is a design process in which the needs of people with disabilities are specifically considered. Building standards on accessibility contains scoping and technical requirements for accessibility to sites, facilities, building and elements by individual with disability. INDIA is also following its prescriptive types of various building standards for the creation of physical environment for people with disabilities. These building standards are based on western models instead of research based standards to serve Indian needs. These standards lack contextual connect when reflects in its application in the urban and rural environment. This study focuses on critical and comparative study of various international building standards and codes, with existing Indian accessibility standards to understand problems and prospects of concept of Universal Design building standards for INDIA. The result of this study is an analysis of existing state of Indian building standard pertaining to accessibility and future need of performance based Universal Design concept.

Widespread population ageing (Keates and Clarkson, 2004) has increased the importance of considering older and disabled people in the design process and reducing their exclusion from product usage. Accordingly, approaches such as ‘inclusive design’, ‘universal design’ and ‘design for all’ have been developed to help designers to include different user groups in design. Inclusive design research understands users’ abilities, needs and expectations, strives to relate the whole range of users’ capabilities to the properties of product interfaces, and aims to optimise design for maximum accessibility and minimise the effort required in using products. Currently, companies start to adopt a more inclusive approach to design led by a twofold moral and financial incentive. Previous research has shown that designers can provide good interaction in products by paying more attention to mental models of users, prior tacit knowledge, interface metaphors, affordances and mappings (Krippendorff, 1989; Norman, 2002). It is believed that inclusive interaction in products can be achieved by means of minimising the sensory, cognitive and motor effort required for product usage, facilitating simplicity and intuitiveness, providing perceptible information and enhancing user satisfaction (Langdon et al., 2010). To support designers in designing more inclusively, tools that foster understanding of sensory, motor and cognitive difficulty with product interactions are required. While the most valid technique will always be to have users interact with the product in question, a variety of constraints mean that this will not always be possible.

Traditional approaches to accessible human-computer interaction focus on the needs and requirements of users in the Global North. While there has been some work on interaction accessibility for people in the Global South, these efforts usually focus on assistive technology rather than universal design. The work described here uses the goals of universal design, like cultural appropriateness, to understand the needs of diverse users in Kampala, Uganda, and Kigali, Rwanda. Preliminary results have revealed prominent absences of features related to physical mobility and hearing impairments. The subsequent phase of this work is to partner with local organizations to implement the resulting recommendations. Our goal is for these recommendations to inform new information technology and interactions designs that can support local stakeholders in their efforts to provide transportation services to people of all abilities.

PRINCIPLES. Foreword. Universal design - a declaration of independence. Housing and living in old age. The changing pattern of life phases, roles and needs. Dementia as a form of being. On withdrawal and acceptance - contributions from medicine and psychology. Living and dying. Dismantling a taboo: living in a hospice. The elderly in societies. Different approaches to dealing with demographic developments - an international comparison of its perception and possible solutions. Safety - Security - Orientation. The essence of dwelling and its analogies in the urban realm. Interior architecture and product design. Approaches to outfitting, retrofitting and conversion. Sheltered housing, communal housing ... Different models and approaches (including care concepts). PROCESSES. Developing holistic architectural solutions: Interdisciplinary teamwork and heterogeneous client structures. Designing for people with dementia: Safety and security as design parameters. Technical installations and construction. Sustainability Climate Energy. Operators, trustees, clients. Housing industry and health care services banks and investors. Project management, cost controlling. Outsourcing services. Focussing on the resident. Quality management, users studies and interviews as a basis for the design process. TYPOLOGIES CASE STUDIES. Introduction (detailing selection, structure, typologies etc.). Structure of the project section. Residential typologies (approx. 20 case studies). Agency: housing industry. Residential categories. What requirements should floor plans fulfil for residential housing for the elderly? (Starting point: 2-room apartment). Nursing home typologies (approx. 20 case studies). Agency: health care and social services. Typical floor plan configurations. Centralised and decentralised solutions, functional programmes, group sizes etc.

Universal Design is a very simple idea that is based on complex decisions and it involves user satisfaction during performance of activities and socially inclusive interaction. Generally, the design guidelines for application in architecture requires that both students and professionals explore their imagination about the situations in which the design of a certain building becomes more pleasant and inviting than simply accessible to the needs of people with permanent and temporary disabilities. In this paper, the aim is to discuss peculiar aspects in the design of a three storey building that make it special. The result of technical solutions create environments that are not restricted to the boundaries of a site. It also encompasses the street, the crossing, the corner square and traffic signals and marks beside some accessible parking areas. The building design is an academic exploration of potential usage to an actual site. It belongs to an institution for social network of people aging above sixty-five year old.

Requirement prioritization is one of the most important approach in the process of requirement engineering due to use it in order to prioritize the execution sort of requirements with taking into account the viewpoints of stakeholders. Thus, in this study, grey wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm is applied in order to prioritize the requirements of a software project. GWO imitates the hunting behavior of grey wolves in nature. Which distinct from others that it has dominant leadership hierarchy which contains four main types; alpha, beta delta and omega wolves. In this paper, a proposed algorithm is presented to prioritize the requirements into ordered list. Furthermore, it is compared and evaluated with analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique in terms of average running time and dataset size. The findings display that the RP-GWO performs better than AHP mechanism by approximately (30%).

While disability and other types of user exclusion issues are evident in society at present and thereby universal design is a key concern in design society, less effort towards inclusive games design is obvious. Designing inclusive games are authoritative and it would therefore be important to recognize any framework or model that could be followed to come up with any well-adjusted inclusive games design solution. In this paper an accessibility passport model for inclusive games design was proposed. The model was based on and originated from a requirement engineering model for inclusive games design which was also presented. The accessibility passport model was combined with the requirement engineering model together with different accessibility passport features which could be suitable for inclusive games design as projected in this the paper. The accessibility passport features and model were then discussed within the context of sustainable system design and a new concept of universal design, where usability augmentation was prioritized through the practice of universal design by considering further than the scope of accessibility issues only intended for triggering the innovation process for future games design.