What is Universal Design (UD)?

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  1. Definitions & Importance of UD
  2. How UD relates to quality living
  3. Principles of UD

Definitions of UD

Our culture and our world as we know it are changing. Now, more than ever, in this faster paced, more complex world we are constantly assaulted with demands. In spite of technology even the most savvy individuals are often left grasping for ways to improve their quality of life.

Universal Design (UD):

  • The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without adaptation or specialized design.
  • A user-friendly approach to design in the living environment where people of any culture, age, size, weight, race, gender and ability can experience an environment that promotes their health, safety and welfare today and in the future.

See also FAQs on Universal Design.

Importance of Universal Design

Example of universally designed kitchen. Credit: General Electric

The world population is living longer as medical advances contribute to declining death rates. The growth of the 50+ age group has escalated and more wealth is being passed from generation to generation helping to promote better products and services for the "good life."

Serendipitously, as much as things change, much remains the same. Values, beliefs and traditions are enriched over time. The dignity of the human spirit resonates loud and clear, generation to generation. The quality of a person's life and the lives of those they care about will always hold the highest significance for them.

Change is the essence of life and can have a tremendous impact on one's sense of well being. Our personal worlds deliver the things needed to keep our batteries charged and we are often able to affect the degree of change there. We can take control of our environment and enhance our lives as well as the lives of those that mean the most to us by becoming aware of some basic design principles.

Genetics, environment and lifestyle affect our longevity and our quality of life. We are limited in not being able to change our genetics, but we can enhance what our DNA has predestined for us through a healthier lifestyle and a more accommodating environment. As a result, we can live longer, more enriched, lives.

Wisdom comes through implementing knowledge to benefit outcome. Our changing cultural phenomena are requiring the world to use all of their acquired knowledge to reassess how we live, how we support our evolving life patterns and how we put into action what it takes to "make it happen."

The housing stock in the United States is built to accommodate the average twenty-five year old, six-foot tall male. If this profile does not match your individual vital statistics you can correctly conclude that the bulk of this housing was not built to best accommodate you. In fact, this model group is but a minute segment of the entire population.

The average American home is over thirty years old and often its design presents challenges for even the most able-bodied individuals. Even though we are the most technologically advanced people in the world, we find that we are adapting to our ill-fitted environments rather than making our environments work for us. Our own intelligence and our almost endless ability to adapt have taken us for a long roller coaster ride.


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