Universal Design Pioneer: Why Design Still Excludes Many

February 14, 2011 udcom

Pattie Moore, a gerontologist who studies the social science of aging, designs products with older adults in mind. When Moore was 26 she disguised herself as an 80-year old woman and taveled to over 100 cities across the US and Canada.

Moore had nine characters, ranging from a homeless woman to a rich woman with a chauffer. Her experience, as well as her expertise in gerontology, have informed her designs. Moore’s design clients have included OXO, Herman Miller Healthcare, AT&T, Corning Glass, and 3M.

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.