7 PRINCIPLE OF THE UNIVERSAL DESIGN

You can reach more information aboout these 7 principles by the following link

              http://universaldesign.ie/exploreampdiscover/the7principles#p3

SIZE AND SPACE FOR APPROACH AND USE

Being accepted as seventh principle of universal design, “Size and Space for Approach and Use” principle is a substantial design issue. If the design has not proper size and space to approach and use, it can be problematic. To create an efficacious design, it is important that user’s body size, posture or mobility should be considered. It should also serve to chairman and provide equal sight and make reach to all components comfortable for them.

This photo is an example for the design that the principle is not considered. Because of turning stairs, corners of steps are very narrow and it is not proper to use by people. It limits usable area. And the column at the center, because of its large size, completely closes people’s point of view. The stairs may cause many accidents. Moreover it is designed without considering chairman and this contradicts with the principle.

LOW PHYSICAL EFFORT

The 6th principle “ low physical effort” is another necessary thing that we need to consider for all users from any ages. According to this, the design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with minimum of fatigue.Our designs should allow users to maintain a neutral body position and we should use reasonable operating forces. Also we need to minimize repetitive actions. And finally, we have to minimize sustained physical effort.

If we look at some examples from our own environment, we can easily see that usually we do not concider principles. The most important examples are the overpasses in Ankara. Actually the overpasses are not facilities for people, especially for children and elderly people. In most of them, the stairs are too slope even for healty people. There is not an elevator for diabled or elderly people. In fact, the overpasses are not an appropriate solution for pedestrians in traffic, but if we really need to use them, we can not ignore som requirements.

TOLERANCE FOR ERROR

Another vital principle that should be considered to get a successful design is safety. The design should minimize the accidents and their consequences. Arrangement of elements is very important in terms of safety. Most used elements should be most accessible, and most dangerous elements such as electric cables should be shielded and hidden. And those dangerous elements should be indicated with proper warnings of hazards. And the design should not consist of distractive features in order not to allow unconscious actions.

The building of The Faculty of Architecture in METU is the most remarkable building in the campus, of course, but it has a design issue, i think. The level differences near the stairs , sometimes, can be really dangerous, especially for careless ones. The long corridors ending with sudden level differences may cause serious accidents, particularly at night when the lights are turned off. The distractive nature of the environment ( the walls covered with many posters and announcements) increases the risk.

A person walking recklessly at the corridor sees the stairs nearby and steps down to meet a stair but fells suddenly.

PERCEPTIBLE INFORMATION

     

Find the toilets if you can

A successful design should provide necessery information clearly and effectively to the user to prevent misunderstandings.  while doing this, designer should consider the target group of the design, and should use different methods of  comunication (pictoral, verbal, tactile) if necessary. furthermore, design should be compatible with devices and techiques used by people with sensory limitations. By this way, the design can reach all. The essential information for the design should be made visible by contrasting the elements bearing the information with the environment. Another way to create an easily perceptible design is making the design describable by giving instructions or directions. Those were some guidelines to create an easily comprehensible, legible design.

 We can trace and find a lot of violaton of this principle. For example, the toilets of the mall in METU seem very problematic in that manner. we, the students of metu, of course know where the toilets are, and how to find them. However, to reach them would be such an adventure for a visitor. The information is insufficient, the stairway is too iclined, even for the people without limitation of walking ( this contradicts with a bunch of principle, i think), and the corridor is somewhat creepy( at least, for me). In my theory, the reason for all those problems is that those toilets are designed as staff restrooms, and the architect simply forgot to make toilets for public usage( i'm not kidding).

SIMPLE AND INTIUTIVE USE

According to the principle of “Simple and Intiutive Use” the design should inform the user easily and effectively even if the ambience of the place is distracter or the user is incautious. It is important for the design to be used comfortably. Thus the designer should use different materials to provide with the essential information. These materials can be pictorial, verbal or tactile. These information elements should be easily noticeable and understandable, for this purpose they can be placed on a contrast ground, they should be short and clear. The people who have sensory limitations are should be considered and a variety of techniques to inform them must be used.

The poorness of implementation of this principle can be observed almost everywhere in Ankara. The street names, even the monumental buildings can not be observed until you arrive their nearby. You can see the people who can not find their way and ask the others. In a modern city people should easily stroll around and find their way without any help, beside the point that they are handicapped or not. As an example when we look at the Kızılay subway station the inadequacy of the information offends the eye immediately. The directions and other information are only written and they are hard to be realized. People may feel confused and uncomfortable there.

FLEXIBILITY IN USE

When the 7 principles were developed, individual preferences and abilities were also considered. According to the principle of “Flexibility In Use” a design should be adaptable for any users. Hence while designing a product, personal choices and precisions should be estimated. The design accommodates a range of methods of use, provides both right and left handed access and it does not disturb the users who have obstacles.

When we look around, it is easily seen that the most of the products are designed according to the needs of generality. It is disregarded that people who have specialties have the right to feel comfortable too. For example left hand users could not use a lot of products until some of them are redesigned specifically for them. Watches, computer mouses, musical instruments (guitars, batteries, flutes, violins etcetera), kitchenware and lots of things can not serve for the left hand users.  

In our faculty we observe some other problems like the uncomfortableness of the sits in the cafeteria. People who have problems with their spine can not sit and eat easily on them. They are very uncomfortable for even the healthy ones.

EQUITABLE USE

The first one of the 7 principles of universal design is the “ equitable use”. In the definition, it is said that , in the design process, we need to concider if it provides the same means of use for all users, identical whenever possible, equivalent when not. Also, we can not segregate or stigmatize users. We have to think about making the  provisions for privacy, safety and security equally available to all users. And finally, we should make the desaign appealing to all users.

We can give some effective examples from our environment. We usually forget a very important and necessary thing in the design process:ramps. As we see in many places, there is not a ramp near the stairs. Even if there is one, it is not always appropriate for users. For example, in this overpass from Kızılay, the slope is not appropriate. In the other example from our Architecture Faculty in Metu, again the slope is not appropriate, or in some stairs, there is not a ramp. Even if it is a simple mistake, we often make that.