The word “disability” is usually thought of in its most permanent forms: deafness, blindness, paralysis, etc.
Designing for disability does not mean designing only for the subset of users with permanent disabilities — it means designing for everyone.
“Universal design is design that’s usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.”
while closed captions were designed primarily for deaf or hard of hearing users, it has also proven helpful for users learning a second language.
Users with autism who experience auditory sensitivity may prefer to mute videos and turn on closed captions instead.
Toronto’s OCAD University defines inclusive design as “design that considers the full range of human diversity with respect to ability, language, culture, gender, age and other forms of human difference.”
It’s like designing for the edge cases first and slowly working your way in towards the everyman user later on (if possible). My favorite example
It’s like designing for the edge cases first and slowly working your way in towards the everyman user later on (if possible).
Microsoft 2015 Ability Summit, a group of Microsoft employees were intrigued by the idea of developing console controllers for injured veterans.
Xbox Adaptive Controller. With the intent of aiding players with limb differences to have more agency in their gaming, the product is essentially a basic central console with 19 jacks for add-​on accessories that target different specific disability pain points.
In metaphorical terms, I tend to picture inclusive design as a wheelchair ramp and universal design as an elevator.
Inclusive design creates alternative paths. Universal design corrals users into the same solution.
Unless you are literally Google, there is no successful, non-scam business whose target audience is “everyone.”
Disabilities are not universal. A user with epilepsy will likely have different usability concerns than a user with limb differences.
is universal design even truly universal?
Voice user interfaces like Alexa and Siri are spectacular for users who are blind, but it’s not usable for users who are non-​verbal.
If your inclusive design ends up incorporating more types of users into its usability cases, that’s great! And if it doesn’t, then you’ve at least made a difference for one group of users, and that’s great too!
The concept of “universality” in UX design is far too nebulous and potentially not even possible. Start from inclusivity first, and branch out from there.
The word “disability” is usually thought of in its most permanent forms: deafness, blindness, paralysis, etc.
Designing for disability does not mean designing only for the subset of users with permanent disabilities — it means designing for everyone.
“Universal design is design that’s usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.”
while closed captions were designed primarily for deaf or hard of hearing users, it has also proven helpful for users learning a second language.
Users with autism who experience auditory sensitivity may prefer to mute videos and turn on closed captions instead.
Toronto’s OCAD University defines inclusive design as “design that considers the full range of human diversity with respect to ability, language, culture, gender, age and other forms of human difference.”
It’s like designing for the edge cases first and slowly working your way in towards the everyman user later on (if possible). My favorite example
It’s like designing for the edge cases first and slowly working your way in towards the everyman user later on (if possible).
Microsoft 2015 Ability Summit, a group of Microsoft employees were intrigued by the idea of developing console controllers for injured veterans.
Xbox Adaptive Controller. With the intent of aiding players with limb differences to have more agency in their gaming, the product is essentially a basic central console with 19 jacks for add-​on accessories that target different specific disability pain points.
In metaphorical terms, I tend to picture inclusive design as a wheelchair ramp and universal design as an elevator.
Inclusive design creates alternative paths. Universal design corrals users into the same solution.
Unless you are literally Google, there is no successful, non-scam business whose target audience is “everyone.”
Disabilities are not universal. A user with epilepsy will likely have different usability concerns than a user with limb differences.
is universal design even truly universal?
Voice user interfaces like Alexa and Siri are spectacular for users who are blind, but it’s not usable for users who are non-​verbal.
If your inclusive design ends up incorporating more types of users into its usability cases, that’s great! And if it doesn’t, then you’ve at least made a difference for one group of users, and that’s great too!
The concept of “universality” in UX design is far too nebulous and potentially not even possible. Start from inclusivity first, and branch out from there.
