Universal Design, Education and Technology

Ciarán O’Leary, Damian GordonDublin Institute of TechnologyThursday, 22nd October 2009

• Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size or disability• Disability Act, 2005

Ciarán O'Leary 2

• The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialised design• Centre for Universal Design, North

Carolina State University

Ciarán O'Leary 3

• Universal design is an approach to design that honours human diversity. It addresses the right for everyone – from childhood into their oldest years – to use all spaces, products and information, in an independent, inclusive and equal way. It is a process that invites designers to go beyond compliance with access codes, to create excellent, people centred design.• Elaine Ostroff

Ciarán O'Leary 4

• Product or process?• Disability?• Good deed or market driven?• Carrot or stick?• User centred design?• Good design?

Ciarán O'Leary 5

• Sustainable design includes environmental, economical, ethical and social considerations in product, service and environmental development

• Universal design is therefore an integral part of sustainable design

Ciarán O'Leary 6

1. Equitable Use2. Flexibility in Use3. Simple and Intuitive4. Perceptible Information5. Tolerance for Error6. Low Physical Effort7. Size and Space for Approach and Use

Ciarán O'Leary 7

• Provide the same means of use for all users: identical whenever possible; equivalent when not

• Avoid segregating or stigmatising any users

• Provisions for privacy, security and safety should be equally available to all users

• Make the design appealing to all users

Ciarán O'Leary 8

Ciarán O'Leary 9

• Provide choice in method of use• Accommodate right-handed or left-

handed access and use• Facilitate the user’s accuracy and

precision• Provide adaptability to the user’s

pace

Ciarán O'Leary 10

Ciarán O'Leary 11

• Eliminate unnecessary complexity• Be consistent with user expectations

and intuition• Accommodate a wide range of literacy

and language skills• Arrange information consistent with its

importance• Provide effective prompting and

feedback during and after task completion

Ciarán O'Leary 12

Ciarán O'Leary 13

• Use different modes (pictorial, verbal, tactile) for redundant presentation of essential information

• Provide adequate contrast between essential information and its surroundings

• Maximise legibility of essential information and its surroundings

• Differentiate elements in ways that can be described (i.e. make it easy to give instructions or directions)

• Provide compatibility with a variety of techniques or devices used by people with sensory limitations

Ciarán O'Leary 14

Ciarán O'Leary 15

• Arrange elements to minimise hazards and errors: most used elements, most accessible; hazardous elements eliminated, isolated or shielded

• Provide warnings of hazards and errors

• Provide fail safe features• Discourage unconscious action in

tasks that require vigilance

Ciarán O'Leary 16

Ciarán O'Leary 17

• Allow user to maintain a neutral body position

• Use reasonable operating forces• Minimise repetitive actions• Minimise sustained physical effort

Ciarán O'Leary 18

Ciarán O'Leary 19

• Provide a clear line of sight to important elements for any seated or standing user

• Make reach to all components comfortable for any seated or standing user

• Accommodate variations in hand and grip size

• Provide adequate space for the use of assistive devices or personal assistance

Ciarán O'Leary 20

Ciarán O'Leary 21

1. Equitable Use2. Flexibility in Use3. Simple and Intuitive4. Perceptible Information5. Tolerance for Error6. Low Physical Effort7. Size and Space for Approach and

Use

Ciarán O'Leary 22


Use

Ciarán O'Leary 23


Use

Ciarán O'Leary 24


Use

Ciarán O'Leary 25

• Four Principles of Accessibility• Perceivable• Operable• Understandable• Robust

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (Version 2.0)

Ciarán O'Leary 26

• Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.

• This means that users must be able to perceive the information being presented (it can't be invisible to all of their senses)

Ciarán O'Leary 27

• User interface components and navigation must be operable.

• This means that users must be able to operate the interface (the interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform)

Ciarán O'Leary 28

• Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable.

• This means that users must be able to understand the information as well as the operation of the user interface (the content or operation cannot be beyond their understanding)

Ciarán O'Leary 29

• Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

• This means that users must be able to access the content as technologies advance (as technologies and user agents evolve, the content should remain accessible)

Ciarán O'Leary 30

• Ageing• “Global ageing is changing the social and

economic nature of the planet”• US Census Bureau

• The increase in elderly people means that 15% of Europeans have a disability, including age-related disabilities

• This figure will increase by 1% per year over the next 20 years

• People with disabilities need to be catered for to become more independent

Ciarán O'Leary 31

• Literacy• Developing World• Access to Information• Right to Information• “Kilimo Kwanza”

Ciarán O'Leary 32

• MSc level module• Offered to students on:• MSc Computing (Assistive Technology)• MSc Computing (Information

Technology)• MSc Computing (Knowledge

Management)• 11 students took the module, in total• Diverse backgrounds

Ciarán O'Leary 33

1. Computer Science and Software Engineering are design and modelling disciplines

2. Universal Design is good design3. Challenges existing technology4. Moral, ethical, legislative

requirements

34Ciarán O'Leary

• “Good method for individual research and learning the main aspects such as seven principles of Universal Design in a real world product, domain or service. Rather than just learning through theory classes.”

35Ciarán O'Leary

• “The module's message goes far beyond the boundaries of the Assistive Technologies course.”

• “Reduce the amount of detail presented in favour of focusing on the spirit, the module after all is of a philosophical nature.”

36Ciarán O'Leary

• http://www.comp.dit.ie/coleary/teaching/ud/

Ciarán O'Leary 37

• Mainstreaming• Process• Product• Motivation

Ciarán O'Leary 38

• User-Centred Design -v- Universal Design

• Personas and Scenarios• User Stories• Use Cases

Ciarán O'Leary 39

• HCI?• End-to-End• Considerate Software• Critical Analysis

Ciarán O'Leary 40

• Throughout the programme

Ciarán O'Leary 41

Show how the quicksort algorithm sorts the following numbers:

45 30 12 19 35 11 10 19 1

Ciarán O'Leary 42

Tom’s in-car navigation system automatically calculates possible routes home for him, depending on his current location. Today, it has determined nine different routes, which Tom would like to be read out by the system, ordered by distance. Show how the quicksort algorithm could organise the following distances, from highest to lowest.

45 30 12 19 35 11 10 19 1

Ciarán O'Leary 43

Mary’s grandchildren bought her a personal computer for her 80th birthday, and have shown her how to visit online stores to make purchases. To compare prices on different websites, Mary uses software which records prices when clicked, and then displays prices in order on the top of the screen. Show how this software would use the quicksort algorithm to order the following prices, from lowest to highest:

45 30 12 19 35 11 10 19 1Ciarán O'Leary 44

• Early, Often and Everywhere• User Empathy• Message and Medium

Ciarán O'Leary 45

• Universal Design is not (just) about disability

• Universal Design is about good design

• Universal Design processes need to be brought to maturity, to lead to better technology

Ciarán O'Leary 46

Ciarán O'Leary 47

[email protected]@comp.dit.ie

Universal Design, Education and Technology

Education

Transcript of Universal Design, Education and Technology