Teach: Universal Design and Accessibility

Universal Design and Accessibility

Making information "easy to understand" is not enough; making it "usable by everyone" is also an important role of information design. What kind of design can be used across differences in age, disability, and language? In this lesson, we will learn about the concept of universal design and its practice in the field of information.

What Is Universal Design?

Universal design (UD) is the idea of designing things from the beginning so that as many people as possible can use them, regardless of age, gender, disability, or language. It was proposed by American architect Ronald Mace. A similar term is barrier-free design. Barrier-free design means removing existing barriers afterward, whereas universal design means preventing barriers from being created in the first place.

The Seven Principles of Universal Design

Mace and others presented seven principles as guidelines for UD. ①Equitable use (everyone can use it in the same way); ②Flexibility in use (users can choose how to use it, such as scissors usable by left-handed people); ③Simple and intuitive use (the method of use is clear without reading instructions); ④Perceptible information (necessary information is communicated regardless of the sense used, such as providing both sound and light signals); ⑤Tolerance for error (mistakes are unlikely to cause danger or damage, such as an "Undo" function); ⑥Low physical effort (it can be used with little force and in a natural posture); ⑦Size and space for approach and use (it can be reached and operated regardless of body size or posture).

Example Small ridges are placed on the side of shampoo containers so that shampoo can be distinguished from conditioner by touch. This famous example of universal design from Japan is useful in the same way for people washing their hair with their eyes closed and for people with visual impairments. Other familiar examples of UD include station signs using pictures and multiple languages, doors that open when pushed or pulled, and crosswalks with audible signals.

Universal Design of Information — Accessibility

In the world of websites and applications, the degree to which everyone can access information is called accessibility. Specific considerations include adding alternative text (the alt attribute) to images so that screen readers can communicate their content; ensuring sufficient contrast between text and background; adding captions to videos; and enabling operation using only a keyboard. It is said that about 1 in 20 Japanese men has difficulty distinguishing certain color combinations, such as red and green. Therefore, not relying only on color and conveying information through shapes and labels as well is important in color universal design. Internationally, guidelines called WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) have been established. In addition, the concept of pursuing "ease of use and ease of understanding" for users is called usability, and is distinguished from accessibility (the breadth of people who can use something).

Key Points
  • UD = designing from the beginning so that anyone can use it. Barrier-free = removing barriers afterward. Understand the difference in approach.
  • The seven UD principles: equitable use, flexibility, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort, and size and space.
  • Accessibility practices: alternative text, contrast, captions, and keyboard operation.
  • Consider color-vision diversity and do not convey information through color alone (color universal design).
  • Accessibility = "the breadth of people who can use it"; usability = "the quality of ease of use."

Practice Questions

  1. Explain the difference between universal design and barrier-free design, focusing on their different approaches.
  2. What does "tolerance for error" mean among the seven principles of universal design? Explain with a specific software example.
  3. Point out the problem with indicating required fields only by writing "red text means this is a required field" on a web page, and suggest an improvement.
  4. Explain whose use and what kind of use alternative text for an image supports.

Answers and Explanations

  1. Answer: Barrier-free design means removing existing barriers, such as steps, afterward for people with disabilities and others. Universal design means designing from the beginning so that anyone can use something regardless of age or disability. The difference is whether the design is a limited, after-the-fact measure or prior planning intended for everyone.
    Explanation: The contrast "remove afterward vs. design from the beginning" is sufficient. It is also important that UD is for everyone, not only for people with disabilities.
  2. Answer: It means designing things so that an incorrect operation is unlikely to lead to danger or serious damage. Examples include an "Undo" function in word-processing software, a confirmation dialog asking "Are you sure you want to delete this?", and a function for restoring files from the Recycle Bin.
    Explanation: This principle assumes that people will inevitably make mistakes and designs the system so mistakes can be recovered from. One specific example is sufficient.
  3. Answer: Problem: Because the information is conveyed only by color (red), people who have difficulty distinguishing red or who view a black-and-white printout cannot identify required fields. Improvement: Add labels such as "Required" or "* Required" alongside the color, use an asterisk, or use bold text so the information can be understood through clues other than color.
    Explanation: The basic rule of color universal design is "do not rely on color alone." Duplicating information with color plus a shape or label is standard practice.
  4. Answer: Alternative text enables people with visual impairments who use screen readers to understand an image's content through audio. It also helps when images cannot be displayed because of communication problems and helps search engines understand image content.
    Explanation: The primary purpose is consideration for screen-reader users. The effects when images are not displayed and on search engines are additional points.

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