Everything you need to know about universal design
Welcome to Centre for Universal Design Australia. You’ve come to the right place to find information about universal design and inclusive practice.
Universal design is about creating a society where everyone feels welcome. It is not a type of product – it is a design thinking process. That means it can be applied to anything and everything that is designed in our world.
One way of introducing designers and others to universal design concepts is through the 8 Goals of Universal Design. Briefly, they are:
- Body fit
- Comfort
- Awareness
- Understanding
- Wellness
- Social integration
- Personalization
- Cultural appropriateness
What is universal design?
Other names for universal design are: inclusive design, design-for-all, human centred design, design for diversity, and user centred design. While some might argue there are differences, they all aim for the same thing – an inclusive world.
What’s good about an inclusive world? It benefits everyone. Being able to participate in everyday activities is good for our health and wellbeing. Our health and sense of wellbeing is affected by being excluded because of barriers, difficulties and inconveniences.
For quick reference, we have a one-page plain language summary of universal design you can download.
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Because universal design covers so many things, we have separate sections for different topics. There is a search box at the bottom of the left hand menu to help you find what you are looking for. Or you can select the menu tabs.
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