Skip to Main Content
 
 

Emory's LibGuide on LibGuides: Best Practices & Guidelines for Creating and Maintaining LibGuides

An internal guide for Emory Libraries.

What is Universal Design?

Universal design is the process of creating products that are accessible to people with a wide range of abilities, disabilities, and other characteristics. Universally designed products accommodate individual preferences and abilities; communicate necessary information effectively (regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities); and can be approached, reached, manipulated, and used regardless of the individual's body size, posture, or mobility. Application of universal design principles minimizes the need for assistive technology, results in products compatible with assistive technology, and makes products more usable by everyone, not just people with disabilities.

From University of Washington, "What is universal design?" Click here to view the page.

Universal design often coincides with general principles of good design. Be clear, be concise, be considerate. The Center for Universal Design outlines the following principles as key to universal design (click here to view the full report):

PRINCIPLE ONE: Equitable Use
The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.

Guidelines:

  • 1a. Provide the same means of use for all users: identical whenever possible; equivalent when not.
  • 1b. Avoid segregating or stigmatizing any users.
  • 1c. Provisions for privacy, security, and safety should be equally available to all users.
  • 1d. Make the design appealing to all users.

PRINCIPLE TWO: Flexibility in Use
The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.

Guidelines:

  • 2a. Provide choice in methods of use.
  • 2b. Accommodate right- or left-handed access and use.
  • 2c. Facilitate the user's accuracy and precision.
  • 2d. Provide adaptability to the user's pace.


PRINCIPLE THREE: Simple and Intuitive Use
Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level.

Guidelines:

  • 3a. Eliminate unnecessary complexity.
  • 3b. Be consistent with user expectations and intuition.
  • 3c. Accommodate a wide range of literacy and language skills.
  • 3d. Arrange information consistent with its importance.
  • 3e. Provide effective prompting and feedback during and after task completion.


PRINCIPLE FOUR: Perceptible Information
The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities.

Guidelines:

  • 4a. Use different modes (pictorial, verbal, tactile) for redundant presentation of essential information.
  • 4b. Provide adequate contrast between essential information and its surroundings.
  • 4c. Maximize "legibility" of essential information.
  • 4d. Differentiate elements in ways that can be described (i.e., make it easy to give instructions or directions).
  • 4e. Provide compatibility with a variety of techniques or devices used by people with sensory limitations.

PRINCIPLE FIVE: Tolerance for Error
The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.

Guidelines:

  • 5a. Arrange elements to minimize hazards and errors: most used elements, most accessible; hazardous elements eliminated, isolated, or shielded.
  • 5b. Provide warnings of hazards and errors.
  • 5c. Provide fail safe features.
  • 5d. Discourage unconscious action in tasks that require vigilance.

PRINCIPLE SIX: Low Physical Effort
The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue.

Guidelines:

  • 6a. Allow user to maintain a neutral body position.
  • 6b. Use reasonable operating forces.
  • 6c. Minimize repetitive actions.
  • 6d. Minimize sustained physical effort.


PRINCIPLE SEVEN: Size and Space for Approach and Use
Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of user's body size, posture, or mobility.

Guidelines:

  • 7a. Provide a clear line of sight to important elements for any seated or standing user.
  • 7b. Make reach to all components comfortable for any seated or standing user.
  • 7c. Accommodate variations in hand and grip size.
  • 7d. Provide adequate space for the use of assistive devices or personal assistance.

 

CAST (formerly the Center for Applied Special Technology) provides the following "in a nutshell" document of universal design considerations:

Universal Design and LibGuides

WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind) outlines a number of considerations when it comes to presenting information online:

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) offers similar resources, including a decision tree on how best to use images and text in conjunction and a thorough set of accessibility guidelines: