CHAPTER 4 : UNIVERSAL DESIGN

4.1 Universal Design

- Define Universal Design
- Seven Principles of universal design of interactive
system
4.2 Multi-Modal Technology
4.3 Accessibility in user interfaces
 4.1 Universal Design
• Universal Design is about designing systems
so that they can be used by anyone in any
circumstance
• Universal Design is the process of designing
products so that they can be used by as many
people as possible in as many situations as
possible
• In reality, we may not be able to design
everything to be accessible to everyone
• We certainly cannot ensure that everyone has
the same experience of using a product
• But we can work toward the aim of universal
design and try to provide an equivalent
experience
• Universal Design is primarily about trying to
ensure that you do not exclude anyone
through the design choices you make but, by
giving thought to these issues, you will
invariably make your design better for
everyone
 4.1 Seven Principles of universal design of
interactive system
1. Equitable use
2. Flexibility in use
3. Simple and intuitive to use
4. Perceptible information
5. Tolerance for error
6. Low physical effort
7. Size and space for approach and use
1. Equitable use
• The design is useful to people with range of
ability and appealing to all
• No user is excluded or stigmatized
• Access should be the same for all
2. Flexibility in use
• The design allows for range of ability and
preference, through choice of methods of use
and adaptively to the user’s pace, precision
and custom
3. Simple and intuitive to use
• Simple and intuitive to use regardless of
knowledge, experience, language or level of
concentration of the user.
• The design needs to support the user’s
expectations and accommodate different
language and literacy skills.
4. Perceptible information
• Design should provide effective
communication of information regardless of
the environmental condition or the user’s
abilities.
• Essential information should be emphasized
and differentiated clearly from the peripheral
content.
5. Tolerance for error
• Minimizing the impact and damage caused
by mistakes or unintended behavior.
• Potentially dangerous situations should be
removed or made hard to reach.
• Potential hazards should be shielded by
warnings.
6. Low physical effort
• System should be designed to be comfortable
to use, minimizing physical effort and fatigue.
• The physical design of the system should allow
the user to maintain a natural posture with
reasonable operating effort.
7. Size and space for approach and use
• The placement of the system should be such
that is can be reached and used by any user
regardless of body size, posture or mobility.
 QUIZ
1) What is Universal Design?

2) How many principles of Universal Design.

a) 5 b) 6 c) 9 d) 7
 4.2 Multi-Modal Technology
• Providing access to information through more than
one mode of interaction is an important principle of
universal design.
• The design known as multi-modal interaction
• There are five senses:
1. Sight
2. Sound
3. Touch
4. Taste
5. Smell
1. Sight
• Sight is the predominant sense for majority
• people, most interactive systems
consequently use the visual channel as their
primary means of presentation, through
graphics, text, video and animation.
2. Sound
• Important channel
• Keeping us aware of our surroundings,
monitoring people and events around us,
reacting sudden noises, providing clues and
cues that switch our attention from one thing
to another.
• Providing emotional effect on us – music
3. Touch
• Forms an intrinsic part of the operation of
many tools
• Cars, musical instruments, pens, anything
that requires holding or moving
Taste and Smell
• Often less appreciated (until they are absent)
• Provide useful information in daily life:
checking food, detecting early sign of fire
 Exercise
• What is Multi-Modal Technology?
• List FIVE senses in Multi-Modal Technology.
4.2.1 Alternative Mode of HCI

• Sound in the interface

• Touch in the interface
• Handwriting recognition
• Gesture recognition
1. Sound in the interface
• Sound – important contributor to usability
• Experimental evidences:
– Video games: Experts tend to score less
well when the sound is turned off than
when it is on
• Dual presentation of information through
sound and vision supports universal design,
by enabling access for users with visual and
hearing impairments respectively.
• Two general types:
– Speech
– Non Speech
2. Touch in the interface
• Touch is the only sense that can be
used to both send and receive
information
• Concerned with tactile sensations
through skin
• Eg: Braille display,
– Kinesthetic
• Perception of movement and
position
• 3D Feedback allowing user to feel
resistance, textures, friction
3. Handwriting Recognition
• Handwriting – natural form of communication
• Using digitizing tablet, refined by
incorporating a thin screen on top to display
the information, producing electronic paper

“NOKIA HANDWRITING CALCULATOR”

4. Gesture Recognition
• Being able to control the
computer with certain
movement of the hand would be
advantageous in many situations
where there is no possibility of
typing.
• Could also support
communication for people who
have hearing loss
• Technology of capturing gestures
is expensive
 Exercise
• List FOUR Alternative Mode of HCI.
4.2.2 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MOBILE COMPUTING AND WEARABLE COMPUTING
MOBILE COMPUTING
Systems running on small
computing devices
Allows user to access
information while moving
through physical space
Facilitates high level of
mobility
WEARABLE COMPUTING
Systems always with the
user and always interacting
Allows the user to explore
virtual environments and
see the real world with
virtual objects
superimposed
Facilitates high level of
immersion into virtual
space and mobility
 MOBILE COMPUTING

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 WEARABLE COMPUTING
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 Designed by Hiromi Kiriki.

 Sony flexible touchscreen display as a wearable wrist computer

concept prepared for 2020.

 The Sony Wearable Wrist Computer Concept comes with a

holographic projector for the screen and pull-out style for keyboard
panels and social networking buttons.

Read more: http://thecoolgadgets.com/

Sony Wearable Wrist
Computer Concept –
Bracelet Style
 4.3 Accessibility in User Interfaces
• The needs of the accessibility guidelines and
standards
• Accessibility features in user interfaces :
– Biometric Access Control (e.g: Fingerprint,Palm
Scan,Hand Geometry, Iris Scan, Signature
Dynamics,Keyboard Dynamics, Voice Print, Facial
Scan, Hand Topography)
• Narrator (e.g : Jenwave, Powertalk,Speechexpert)
1. Biometric Access Control
• Verifies an identity by analyzing a unique person
attribute or behavior (e.g., what a person “is”).
• Most expensive way to prove identity, also has
difficulties with user acceptance.
• Access Controls: The security features that control how
users and systems communicate and interact with one
another.
• Access: The flow of information between subject and
object
• Subject: An active entity that requests access to an
object or the data in an object
• Object: A passive entity that contains information
2. Narrator

• Narrator is a Text-to-Speech utility for users who are

blind or have impaired vision.
• Narrator reads what is displayed on your screen: the
contents of the active window, menu options, or the
text that you type.
• Narrator is designed to work with the Notepad,
WordPad, Control Panel programs, Microsoft Internet
Explorer, the Windows desktop, and Windows Setup.
• Narrator may not read words aloud correctly in other
programs.