1. Universal Design –
4 changes in teaching
Tom Vavik
Ergonomics and Universal Design
http://teachinguniversaldesign.com/
Institute of Design
The Oslo School of Architecture and Design
2. Universal Design -
– “not yet a methodological
framework to structure
underlying scientific
investigation, and to
support related teaching
and design practice.”
“Hubert Froyen, UD2014 Keynotes”
a fuzzy concept
3.
4. UN goals
2. Health and well-being for all - at all ages
3. Quality education
9. Innovations
10. Reduced inequalities
5. Sustainable development –
design approaches
Design for Environment,
Green design, EcoDesign,
Climate change
Universal design, Design for
accessibility, Design for all,
Participatory design,
Inclusive design,
Design for diversity
Design management
Corporate social responisbility
Etc.
6. Social sustainability
Universal design
Students attitudes
Inclusive design processes - involvement
of users with reduced capabilities
Appealing and accessible
product
for all
Model for teaching Universal Design
Values and
philosophy
Process, tools
and methods
Results for
the society
7. Change 1:
From guidelines and principles to inclusive design processes
Why
An inovative tool for insights and ideas
Before
Set of framed tools:
Guidelines and principles
Now
Involving users with reduced
sensory,cognitive and motoric
capabilities
10. Change 2:
From physical to cognitive accessibility and multisensorial
interactions
Why
Complex, digital society
Increased cognitive and sensory demands
Before
Physical accessibility
Availability, at hand
Promote independent use
Flexibility and possibility
for choice
Now
Cognitive accessibility
Communication through multisensorial interactions
Easy to perceive, understand,
learn, navigate and remember
11. Fire distinguisher with multisensorial interactions.
A students project.
Sigrun Vik - Nomineted to
“Brit Insurance Designs of the Year” 2011
14. Change 3:
From one of many approaches to the basic method for designers
Why
A fundamental part of the designer’s
education
Based on equality, non- discrimination
and inclusiveness
Before
2. year, 3. semester.
Design for diversity
Now
1. year
User centred design
Inclusive design processes
15. Foundation Design
3 year
First year:
User centred and
inclusive design
processes
Service
design
Industrial
design
Interaction
design
”The first cut is the deepest”
16. Change 4:
From functionality to aesthetics
Why
Greater emphases on identity, dignity
and self esteem
Before
Functionality and usability
Now
Aesthetics, seeking for relevant, non
stigmatizing expressions
28. Changes in teaching
From To
Guidelines and principles Inclusive design processes
Physical accessibility Cognitive accessibility and
multisensorial interacions
One of many approaches The basic method
Functionality Aesthetics
29. Challenges
Cultural sustainability – cultural heritage, belonging and identity ?
What about the excluded groups today?
Culture and ethnicity
Social- and economic classes
Gender/sexual orientation
People without paper
Other…
Editor's Notes
My presentation desrcibes and reflects on how the teaching of the concept of Universal Design (UD) has developed the last decade at the Institute of Design at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO).
Product and environment to be usable to all people without the need for adaption or specialized solutions, = accessible main solutions
Knowing what and how to teach UD is a rather complex and diverse task to solve:
First one has to decide and describe what the overall learning outcome is, what specific knowledge, skills and experience the students should obtain.
Then one has to influence the students’ attitudes and ethical values related to the design practice and profession in a UD perspective?
Further, what kind of design theory and literature is the teaching based on?
What are the most relevant themes and tasks for the students to work on and
when are they mature enough to this kind of teaching?
Although the concept of UD ”is gradually acquiring global significance in the social, the academic, and the professional field,” “there is not yet a methodological framework to structure underlying scientific investigation, and to support related teaching and design practice.” (Hubert Froyen UD2014 Keynotes). This is my framework for teaching, hopefully a modest contribution to bring the discussion forward.
Hubert Froyen UD2014 Keynotes:
Although the concept of UD ”is gradually acquiring global significance in the social, the academic, and the professional field,”
“there is not yet a methodological framework to structure underlying scientific investigation, and to support related teaching and design practice.”
LCA. Vugge til vugge Materials and energy, gjennvinning
Emmissions and waste
Tilgjengelighet, prinsipper og designprosess.
Økonomisk utvikling, corporate social responsibility
Values attitydes
Firstly, the curriculum has evolved from applying UD principles and guidelines in development of products, services and environments to a closer focus on the design processes itself.
The teaching is now based on a more holistic model associated with user and people centered approaches and inclusive design processes. The students are, as an example, encouraged and even instructed to involve users with reduced capabilities into their projects.
Examples
Elderly
Wheelchair users
Children
Reduced vision
Receiving, Processing, Actioning.
At a basic level, I think there are three stages in the cognitive process when it comes to doing things. Frankly, for me, these stages apply to pretty much everything (hugging the lion, cooking pasta, making a bed) but I think they work well when considered in context of the web.
I kategorien ”Design for alle” gikk master i industridesign fra AHO Sigrun Vik til topps med. Brannslukningsapparatet kombinerer flere nye løsninger, som lyd og lyssignal, med eksisterende pulverteknologi, men har også fokus på den estetiske utformingen. Multisensorisk med lys og lys
Med utgangspunkt i at de fleste brannslukningsapparat blir stuet bort i kott og skap, har Vik konstruert et apparat som appellerer ikke bare til trygghetsfølelesen, men også til synet og hørselen. Prosjektet ble utviklet som et studentprosjekt på kurset ”Technoform” høsten 2008, og inkluderer en rekke nye funksjoner i forhold til vanlig pulverapparater. Bl.a. sender apparatet ut lydsignaler når det detekterer røyk eller varme, og lyssignaler forteller deg hvor det henger.
Sigrun Vik, er nominert i produktkategorien for årets “Brit Insurance Designs of the Year”. Vinneren annonseres 15. mars 2011.
Brit Insurance Designs er en anerkjent britisk designpris som hvert år hedrer det mest innovative og interessante av internasjonal design fra året som har gått
PPP People planet profit
In their first year they learn that user centered and inclusive design processes is the way to work as a designer. This is the method for design projects. The students experience that insights into the context of use and needs and whishes from the end users and users with reduced capabilities is a central and important tool to creativity and to improve products and services. They learn that values based on equality, non-discrimination and inclusiveness is the ethical base the design study is grounded on.
To conclude, this early implementation of the UD concept has developed a better understanding among staff and students that UD is a natural part of design thinking.
Firstly, the curriculum has evolved from applying UD principles and guidelines in development of products, services and environments to a closer focus on the design processes itself.
The teaching is now based on a more holistic model associated with user and people centered approaches and inclusive design processes. The students are, as an example, encouraged and even instructed to involve users with reduced capabilities into their projects.
Examples
Elderly
Wheelchair users
Children
Reduced vision
: Examples from students work with product identity and affiliation in walking sticks. From left to right: User studies, esthetic inspirations, sketch and models of the products
1 From UD as basic principles, to UD as inclusive design processes. The teaching has evolved from applying UD principles and guidelines in development of products, services and environments to a closer focus on the design processes itself. A holistic model associated with user- and people-centered approaches and inclusive design processes [1,2,3] is taught. The students are, as an example, encouraged and instructed to involve users with reduced capabilities into their first year projects.
2 From physical to cognitive accessibility. From challenges previously connected to physical barriers, a greater emphasis is now placed on cognitive accessibility due to increased complexity in a digital society, such as social media. Accessibility related to information and communication technologies (ICT) is a growing field and needs to be further incorporated in the curriculum.
3 From usability and technical functionality to non-stigmatizing aesthetics expressions and solutions that communicate through different senses. A greater focus is aimed at the aesthetics, seeking for relevant, non stigmatizing expressions. We need solutions that communicate through different senses independent of our sensory capabilities. How the products appear and how we experience them through their aesthetic expressions, is important for our identity and self esteem [4].
4 From the second to the first year curriculum. The teaching of UD at AHO has moved from the second to first year curriculum. From being a separate course, UD is now taught and incorporated in the first year studio course “Introduction to design”. This means that UD has become a more basic and fundamental part of the designer’s education within all the directions of design at AHO, including industrial, interaction and service design.