Awareness, Goals of UD, ViewUDGoals

Awareness

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Ensuring that critical information for use is easily perceived

The tactile guide tiles on the floor of this hotel lobby guide people from the entry, as well as other areas of the hotel, to the reception area. A different type of tile is used to mark the location of the pathways and waiting areas. These tiles help people with visual impairments find their way in the lobby and avoid getting too close to the reception area. They also assist the sighted traveler and serve as an affordance to help everyone remember to stay back and await their turn.

Universal Design (UD) is an approach to design that increases the potential for developing a better quality of life for a wide range of individuals. It is a design process that enables and empowers a diverse population by improving human performance, health and wellness, and social participation (Steinfeld and Maisel, 2012). It creates products, systems, and environments to be as usable as possible by as many people as possible regardless of age, ability or situation.