Abstract
While the theory of designing for Universal Access is increasingly understood, there remain persistent issues over realising products and systems that meet the goal of being accessible and usable by the broadest possible set of users. Clearly, products or services that are designed without even considering the needs of the wider user base are implicitly going to struggle to be universally accessible. However, even products that have been designed, knowing that they are to be used by broad user bases frequently still struggle to achieve the ambition of being universally accessible. This paper examines a number of such products that did not achieve, at least initially, the desired level of universal accessibility. Principal recommendations from each case study are presented to provide a guide to common issues to be avoided.
Highlights
The need for universal access (UA) is well established across the globe [1] and is reinforced through legislation in many countries [2].The theoretical basis for achieving universally accessible products is becoming well established and mature [3]
Different approaches were developed at this time, with different names, such as Universal Design (e.g., [9]), Inclusive Design (e.g., [10]) and Design for All ( Europe) (e.g., [11]) and these came from different geographical regions, cultures, and application areas, such
Understanding where problems lie with the existing designs, so that designers can focus on areas with the known issues or deficiencies in terms of accessibility and usability (CDE) [8]
Summary
The need for universal access (UA) is well established across the globe [1] and is reinforced through legislation in many countries [2]. The theoretical basis for achieving universally accessible products is becoming well established and mature [3]. Involving users in the design process, e.g., through participatory design or critical user forums [12]. Second generation methods, such as Countering Design Exclusion (CDE) and user-sensitive design [13] add to or augment these methods, for example:. Understanding where problems lie with the existing designs, so that designers can focus on areas with the known issues or deficiencies in terms of accessibility and usability (CDE) [8],. This paper explores examples that were intended to be usable and accessible by the widest possible user base, though failed to achieve their goal.
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