Author: Jane Bringolf

Are architectural competitions a good thing?

Architectural “products” involve many stakeholders which makes a complex process even more difficult. So where do architectural competitions fit in and do the winning designs reflect the diversity of society? A group of Austrian researchers checked out 15 competitions with 76 entries to see if they included universal design concepts.

A major finding is that there is room for better consideration of universal design in the early phase of the building process.

Almost all people spend a large part of their lives in a built environment whether their home, their work or leisure activities. Therefore architecture concerns everyone, not just architects and interior designers. An inclusive approach should be a necessity – a non-negotiable principle. But is it?

In the German speaking area of Europe the construction industry is highly regulated. To get attractive and economically viable designs, the competition method has evolved. Competition is an integral part of the the project as well as the tendering process. Once the competition process is over, a new process begins to realise the design. The aim of this method is to provide transparency in decision-making as well as good design.

Researchers found that at the competition stage of the process, universal design was reduced to wheelchair users. Also, while the term “accessibility” is used in documents, it is not reflected in graphic representation. Indeed, many graphics showed barriers to access. Accessibility emphasis, where it existed, was on entrances and sanitary facilities.

Another issue was found in jury statements which focused on specific architecture aspects without addressing diversity or disability. Accessibility is reduced to minimum standards such as the number of designated parking places.

Are competitions a good thing?

The overarching question of this research was whether architectural competitions are a good way to consider the diversity of disability. On a superficial level, organisers and participants deal with some basic access features. However, there is little space in competition entries to flesh out the detail beyond that of wheelchair users.

In summary: “Fundamentally, the term accessibility is considered important, but is very often only used as a superficial buzzword.”

A work table is filled with paper and folders and a woman is cutting a piece of paper with scissors. It looks like a group of people are working on a design.

The title is, The Built Environment and Universal Design: Are Architectural Competitions a Qualified Instrument to a Better Consideration of the Diversity Dimension Impairment? The writing style of the paper indicates that English is not the authors’ first language.

Architecture competitions for universal design

picture of a modern building Norway Opera House. Architecture competitions.

How juries assess universal design in architectural school competitions is critical to the level of innovation that can be expected. Norwegian Leif D Houck gives an excellent analysis of the way competitions are run and improvements for the future.

Houck says the reason to organize an architectural competition is to achieve maximum quality in a project. The idea is not to have a competition to see if anyone manages to comply the regulations, building codes and the competition brief. The idea is to achieve qualities beyond the regulations.

As Houck says, an architectural competition will likely result in different designs and solutions. In addition, the whole process from design through to the building stage has stages where the project has opportunities for improvement.

The title of the article is, How Juries Assess UD in Norwegian Architectural School Competitions. The article was published in Universal Design 2016: Learning from the Past, Designing for the Future H. Petrie et al. (Eds.) © 2016  

The picture is of the Oslo Opera House

Urban planning competitions

People sit around round tables discussing questions. There are four round tables shown in this picture

It’s time for planning competitions to have residents involved in design decisions and planning solutions. A select panel of judges are not looking for the same things. Planning competitions are used as a way to determine alternatives and promote innovative solutions in the early phase of urban planning.

The book  New Approaches, Methods, and Tools in Urban E-Planning, has an interesting chapter that outlines the findings of how e-participation can be implemented in urban planning competitions. You will need institutional access for a free read. The chapter is “Enhancing E-Participation in Urban Planning Competitions”.

From the abstract

Front cover of the book New Approaches methods and Tools in Urban E Planning

This chapter describes how web-based public participation tools are utilized in urban planning competitions. Public opinion is included alongside the expert view given by the jury. This chapter focuses on how public participation can be arranged in competition processes. It shows how the contestants use the information produced, and how it has been utilized in further planning of the area.

Based on two Finnish case studies, web-based tools can augment public participation in the competition process. However, the results indicate that the impact of participation on selecting the winner is weak.

Co-design in research: shifting the power

People with disability are often left out at the beginning of the research process when organisations want research done quickly. This reduces the level of power they have as members of the research team. To be effective, people with disability must be in decision-making positions before research proposals are developed. Co-design in research shifts the power balance between the researcher and the researched.

People with disability are expected to be involved as researchers and decision-makers in research projects. But co-design methods require respect for the process from the outset.

A man in a blue check shirt is sitting in front of a laptop on a desk and is writing with his left hand in a notebook.

Researchers have to navigate tensions inherent within research institutions when involving people with disability from the beginning of the process. Improving the quality of the research is one of the aims of co-designing with people with disability. It also gives an opportunity to employ people who might not otherwise find a job.

A research team led by Flinders University use a case study to show how to engage with prospective co-designers. They looked at the different factors or conditions that enable or constrain co-design work, and how they relate to each other. The funding of commissioned work has an effect on the internal dynamics and relations within the team. They also found that authority and power can shift and change depending on how these components interact.

Clearly there is more to simply gathering a group of people with disability within a research team and thinking co-design will just happen. Factors such as institutional requirements, and authoritarian hierarchies can have a significant impact on co-design processes.

The title of the article is, Shifting power to people with disability in co-designed research.

People with and without disability need to work together to overcome resistance when co-design work is not treated with respect by people or systems.

Two pairs of women sit at a table with paper and pens. One of the pair looks to be explaining something to the other.

From the abstract

This paper explores tensions navigated by researchers and project leaders when involving people with disability as experts in co-design and in the core team.

Structural conditions of funding and institutional support were foundational to the co-design. These included accessible practices, core roles for people with disability and resolving ableist conditions.

Power shifts were easily undermined by institutionalised norms that disrespected the co-design contributions. The value of co-designing research was centre to articulating key issues, methodology and analysis.

Also see Building capacity for engaged research.

Co-create and trans-create

How do you co-design with people who have limited communication skills? After all, co-design methods are built on conversations. The first thing then, is to find a way to overcome this significant barrier. This means finding non-verbal methods to find out how they experience the world. 

Researchers developed a method called this “trans-create” because it was similar to translating one language to another. The used tangible artifacts rather than words, paper and pens.

Against a black background, blurred purple dots looking like digital lights. Some are brighter than others.

Instead of co-designing with children without disabilities for children with disabilities, we tried the opposite. We co-designed with children with disabilities for children without disabilities. We used music, rhythm, lighting, tangible artifacts and new programmable possibilities to facilitate communication and co-creation, as an alternative to verbal language.

Th title of the article is Trans-Create – Co-Design with Persons with Severe Disabilities.

From the abstract

Co-design methods are a challenge with persons with significantly different prerequisites for communication. It’s hard to know if what we design is good for them in the way they themselves define it. We present a new process called “trans-create” based on translating between cultures.

The Mātai Moana project

Community-based projects expand teaching and learning, enabling the experience of practice-based education through the development of participatory projects. The Landscape Architecture programme of Te Herenga Waka/Victoria University of Wellington (NZ) has developed a methodology that facilitates service learning. It demonstrate adaptability to different types of partners, projects, design objectives and university courses.

The Mātai Moana project demonstrated that design-based partnerships are useful instruments to collectively generate ideas. Students began to develop skills relevant to practice, whilst helping communities understand and improve their conditions. The title of the paper is, The Mātai Moana project: learning collaborative and participatory methods through an inclusive design process.

Driveways are part of the footpath

Is the driveway to the shopping centre carpark part of the road or is it part of the footpath? Most people – motorists and pedestrians – don’t realise that driveways are part of the footpath. And what about crossing side streets adjoining main roads? Who should give way to whom?

Sometimes it’s difficult to tell because the visual cues are confusing. If the footpath section has a steep camber towards the roadway it looks like the road. And sometimes there are hazard warning tactile markers where the driveway goes over the footpath. So it looks like the road. Also, the colour of the driveway is often different to the adjoining footpath.

Augustus Brown discusses the issues in his article about continuous footpaths at driveways and side streets. Drivers crossing the footpath to or from a driveway must give way to people walking. Drivers must also give way to people crossing the road when turning at intersections.

To highlight the priority for people walking, footpaths should be designed to give a clear visual cue that drivers need to slow and give way.

Image from the article

A wide driveway uses the same colour concrete as the footpath. It is level and not cambered towards the road. Vehicles must slow to negotiate the short kerb ramp.

Design principles of continuous footpaths

  • Footpaths should be visually uninterrupted at the crossing point
  • Footpath pavement material should be consistent
  • Footpath pavement should remain level at the crossing
  • Narrow kerb ramps should lift crossing vehicles to the height of the footpath

Images from the article

A side street roadway is painted to indicate that pedestrians are on a footway, not a roadway.

Clearly marked continuous footpaths and cycle lanes give priority to both cyclists and pedestrians.

A footpath and cycle lane are side by side and receive the same continuous treatment across a side street.

Brown’s article has several examples of well designed treatments of footpaths across driveways and side streets and some drawings with more information. The title of the article is, Continuous Footpaths at Driveways & Side Streets.

Queensland has a technical guideline for path users and driveways.


Designing with autism in mind

Architects play a critical role in creating environments that are aesthetically pleasing and also sensory-friendly. But how can architects design and organise elements such as acoustics, lighting, colour and space planning to make this possible? A magazine article on designing with autism in mind has some answers.

Architects can design clear circulation paths, minimise clutter and visual distractions. Distinct zones for quiet reflection provides comfort when needed.

A long corridor with blue flooring in a large building with natural light from above and bright paintings on the walls white walls.

The article begins with an overview of some of the current thinking about autism and autistic people. However, there is debate over whether it is a disorder, as in Autism Spectrum Disorder, or just a different way of being.

The article briefly covers acoustics, lighting, colour, and space planning and distribution. There is an image of an autism friendly group home describing the common areas. This information is applicable in any building and the features are welcoming for everyone.

The article concludes with two videos, one featuring an interior designer, and another featuring an architect. The title of the article is Designing for Autistic Users: Creating Inclusive Spaces.

Autism: Is it a disorder?

A young woman sits on a boardwalk next to water. She has her knees drawn up and is resting her head on her arms and knees. It depicts a level of loneliness or sadness. Autism and the social model of disability. People who are neurodiverse often struggle to shed the the idea that they have some kind of disorder. A medical diagnosis is part of the problem – they become a category, a label. This is particularly the case for people with autism. And there are no two people alike. But what they do share in common is a relatively high suicide rate. Why would this be the case?

Richard Woods explores how the social model of disability can be, and should be, applied to this group. But it might not be enough. Negative language is a major barrier to inclusion based on the medical diagnosis label. Woods argues that the social model fails to explain how any disability is experienced by individuals.

Categorisation under a label is limiting and does little to shift community attitudes and improve individuals’ mental health. In conclusion, the paper calls for the “full emancipation of the autistic population”.

The title of the paper is, Exploring how the social model of disability can be reinvigorated: in response to Jonathan Levitt. 

Autism isn’t a disorder

A graphic and logo for Autism Awareness. Autism and the social model of disability. Designing with autism in mind.Neurodiverse advocate Siena Castellon, wrote a book for teenage girls based on her own experiences. In a New Scientist article Siena relates the common misconception that she should look different in some way. Because she doesn’t, most people think that she can’t be autistic. This is not a compliment. You can see more of Siena’s story in the New Scientist article, Autism isn’t a defect – here’s why we should embrace neurodiversity. There are more links in the article for further reading. 

Voices of autism in a book

Front cover of the text book.The autism research field has changed a lot in the last 20 years. We now know the impact the research process itself has on people with autism. With this in mind, a new version of a text book has sections written by autistic contributors from all walks of life. 

There is a separate link to the discussion on how the authors went about including people with the lived experience of autism. This link also gives a short chapter by chapter review of the book’s content.

The title of the book is, Autism: A new introduction to psychological theory and current debate. It’s by Sue Fletcher-Watson and Francesca Happe. 

 

Co-designing social housing policy

Co-designing social housing policy is a relatively new concept in Australia, so it’s good to see tenants involved in policy development. New AHURI research tackles the issues amid the need for urgent reform of the housing sector. Tenant participation leads to benefits for all involved.

‘For policy co-design methods
to work well, there must be
respect and recognition of the
expertise of all participants
involved in the policy making
process…’

A new three storey housing development still has the chain link fencing around it. Social housing policy.

AHURI’s summary paper of the research acknowledges the role of champions within organisations who must lead the development of the design processes. Otherwise, they are not successful or sustainable. However, they require resources and support for these processes to succeed.

Attracting ‘representative’ tenants is difficult because those with the most complex challenges often cannot spare the time because they are in crisis. If participation programs are online or use written forms, only those who can read will be included.

What’s needed for successful co-design

Other important findings from the research include:

  1. A toolbox of participatory methods is needed for engagement across the diverse population who have varied needs for housing assistance.
An old wooden box with mental handles and clasp.

2. Recognition of expertise of frontline staff is an important but untapped source of potential policy expertise.

3. An ongoing commitment is necessary to resourcing, investing in, and training workforces, and building participant capability and supports for policy co-design. And an evaluation program to confirm what works well, under what conditions and for whom.

The title of the policy summary is, Including social housing tenant voice in policy leads to better outcomes.

The report’s executive summary, Social housing pathways by policy co-design: opportunities for tenant participation in system innovation in Australia has more. Or you can read the full report as well.

Gendered spaces in urban design

Gender refers to the social, cultural and economic attributes and roles associated with being male, female or non-binary. These attributes can significantly influence how individuals experience and navigate spaces. This is how we end up with “gendered spaces”. Understanding these nuances is essential for creating inclusive and equitable environments.

The traditional division of labour can influence spatial patterns. For example women bear the primary household tasks which can affect their travel patterns.

A woman in a bright yellow coat and black hat is walking away from the camera down a street.

A short article by Kavita Dehalwar highlights three aspects that require consideration in spatial planning. Safety and security, universal design and accessibility, and participation and decision-making.

Safety and security

Women and transgender individuals may experience harassment which reduces their perceptions of safety. When this occurs it restricts freedom of movement and limits social and economic activity. Lighting, surveillance mechanisms can mitigate safety risks and engender a better sense of safety.

Universal design and accessibility

Gender-sensitive design considers how spaces are used by men, women and non-binary individuals. Gender-neutral facilities accommodating diverse identities and preferences reduces stigma and discrimination. Taking a universal design approach includes accessibility and convenience for everyone.

Participation and decision-making

Gender dynamics also influence participation in decision-making processes. Marginalised groups are often underrepresented in planning processes. This results in policies and intervention that inadvertently fail to address their needs. Co-designing with marginalised groups is one way forward.

The title of the short article is, Gender and Its Implications for Spatial Planning: Understanding the Impact.

Gender Equity in Design: A guide

Front cover of the Gender Equity in Design Guidelines.

Design impacts on the way we can navigate the world and participate. Gender equity in design is yet another element of designing inclusively. 

Rights, responsibilities and opportunities should not depend on gender. Treatment of women, men, trans and gender diverse individuals are often subject to stereotyping or generalisations about roles. But for many designers and policy makers gender equity is a new concept. So the Gender Equity in Design Guidelines are a great help. 

The City of Whittlesea in Victoria produced the Guide. As a local government authority the guide focuses on community facilities. It introduces the case for gender equity and has a focus on issues for women. While there is an emphasis on safety and easy access for women with children, gender diverse groups are included.  

What the guidelines cover

Many of the features capture the essence of universal design. The twenty page document covers site planning, concept design and documentation for:

  • Community centres
  • Maternal and child health
  • Youth facilities
  • Community pavilions
  • Aquatic and major leisure facilities
A young woman attends to a small child in a child seat on the back of the bicycle. The bike has a shopping basket.

The Guidelines acknowledge that any building project goes through several stages and has different stakeholders. Consequently, it only covers planning, concept design and detailed design and documentation. The construction phase is dependent upon the follow-through from planning and design.

The aim of the Guidelines look through a gender lens and is therefor not prescriptive. Consequently, regulatory standards and building code compliance and accessibility are outside the scope of the document. 

Gender Inclusive Urban Planning

Front cover of the Handbook. Blue background and white text.

A city that works well for women, girls, and gender non-conforming people of all ages and differing levels of capability supports economic and social inclusion. The World Bank ender inclusive planning and design is:

  • Participatory: actively including the voices of women, girls, and sexual and gender non-conforming people
  • Integrated: adopting a holistic, cross-cutting approach that centres gender throughout and promotes citizen-city relationship building
  • Universal: meeting the needs of women, girls, and gender non-conforming people of all ages and abilities
  • Knowledge-building: seeking out and sharing robust, meaningful new data on gender equity
  • Power-building: growing the capacity and influence of under-represented groups in key decisions
  • Invested-in: committing the necessary finances and expertise to follow through on intentional gender equity goals

Chapters cover the rationale for gender inclusion, foundations of planning and design, processes and project guidelines, case studies and further resources.

Urban planning and design shape the environment around us — and that shapes how we live, work, play, move, and rest. This handbook highlights the relationships between gender inequality, the built environment, and urban planning and design.

The 18MB file is downloadable directly or from The World Bank. An article in the Latin American Post summarises some of the content. 

A short video from The World Bank briefly explains some of the issues and what should be done. 

Gender Sensitive Spaces: A book

From the abstract

This collection investigates gender-sensitive spaces that challenge the complex social and material structures that shape inequities of access and inclusion in the urban environment.

Designing Gender Sensitive Spaces for Consenting Cities: Practices and Provocations centres intersectional, gender-sensitive approaches to design in the urban environment as an integral strategy in combating spatial inequities.

Front cover of the book Designing Gender Sensitive Spaces. Purple and white with black text.

This volume offers new thinking and practical approaches to demonstrate how design might shift towards safer and more inclusive cities for women, gender-diverse people, and LGBTIQ+ communities. It includes design-led methods, case studies, activist interventions and processes of resistance.

The title is, Designing Gender Sensitive Spaces for Consenting Cities, from Taylor and Francis, Routledge or Google Books.

Information in an emergency

Getting information in an emergency can mean the different between life and death. Or at least the difference between feeling helpless and knowing what to do. But communication is a complex process and not everyone responds to the same methods. So what is accessible information? It’s information provided in different formats.

Easy Read and Easy English use pictures as well as words. These are good for the 44% of the population with a low level of literacy. Targeting this group means people with higher levels of literacy can also get the message. It’s universal design.

A blackboard with words: learn, language, adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs written in chalk

Other formats are braille and Auslan, and captioning for videos. The Disability Discrimination Act lists places and services that must not discriminate, but there is nothing specific about information methods. This is something that needs to be made clearer in the legislation. However, the Commonwealth and state governments have policies to cover the provision of information.

Accessible emergency and crisis information

Researchers found four things to improve crisis information.

  1. Accessible information providers, such as Easy Read professionals, are not experts in the subject at hand. They need support from experts such as doctors or police.
Black and white logo for easy read, has a tick and a open book

2. Accessible information providers need to stay up to date with changing details. Having one direct source is the best way to manage this.

3. Making high quality accessible information takes time and skill. It’s essential to have the capacity and capability ready to act – don’t wait for the crisis to happen.

4. Agencies need to be upskilled. Sometimes crisis information needs to be available immediately such as an evacuation order. Emergency services need more baseline skills to make this information themselves.

The title of the article from The Conversation is, Crisis communication saves lives – but people with disability often aren’t given the message. The call for action is to have accessible crisis information included in a new Disability Rights Act.

Four men with orange lifejackets are standing in a yellow State Emergency Service boat on a swollen river.

Media organisations, businesses and services need to get on board too. The more people who produce accessible information, the better.

War time crisis communication

A Masters thesis on crisis communication for older people in a war-related scenario uses personas as a means of highlighting the issues. Knowing where the meeting points are at a time of crisis are essential, but how best to communicate these. Information channels need to go beyond the Internet and be easily understood. Planning for a crisis from an older person’s perspective automatically includes all ages.

This thesis explains in detail the process used to suggest changes needed for older people to be accommodated in crisis planning.

A poster with a tank and soldier in the background and an atomic bomb mushroom cloud in the foreground. The text reads, War Bunkers! Swedish Emergency Shelters. How to find your nearest shelter.

The title of the thesis is, Crisis communication for elderly: Designing information channels ensuring elderly access to shelters and meeting points in a war-related scenario. The translation from Swedish is not smooth but the points are clear. Note that the use of the word “elderly” is not preferred in Australia, but translations often default to this.

From the abstract

Crisis preparedness has become a greater focus in Sweden since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in spring 2022. Therefore, information at a national level is required to ensure safety.. However, there is a risk that older people could have difficulties understanding information provided.

The Internet is often used as an information channel, but not everyone can access this. This study investigated different crisis communication channels in Sweden and how they can be tailored for older people. Shelters and meeting points also need to be designed to include older people.

Observations of shelters in Gothenburg and interviews with municipalities were carried out. To guide authorities for future development of crisis information a combination of guidelines,
personas and concept proposals are suggested. The concepts proposed are a physical shelter map that can be printed directly from the shelter map MSB (Swedish civil contingency agency).

Proposed concepts for meeting points are a brochure with information about the
meeting points that each municipality will offer their citizens. Proposed solution for prioritising the elderly at a meeting point is also suggested with a queuing system and an “area for elderly”.

To understand the concepts and feelings involved, storytelling for both proposals was developed explaining the user journey. This project can be used for further exploration of concepts proposals and development of crisis communication channels and planning for meeting points.

Defensive architecture, hostile design

Bleacher seating along the river front is covered with different coloured bean bags.Design can have a dark side, often as a result of unintended consequences. This can happen when designers have just one group of people in mind, or when good design ideas are changed at the last moment. The Fifth Estate article about the Howard Smith Wharves in Brisbane illustrates how good design can morph into bad design.

The wharf development was supposed to be a vibrant playground for ‘lovers of the good life’. The development included restaurants and an active transport corridor along the river. The path required separation with line markings, but all this changed just before opening.

A gravel path was installed with the idea that this would be a “go slow” zone. Of course the community objected. A key city thoroughfare was disrupted and the gravel reduced accessibility. And new safety hazards arose because of no line markings. Who then were the ‘lovers of the good life’? Image above from Facebook. 

The title of the article is, Urban design has a dark side to it’s creativity – two projects in Brisbane show how. Somehow, the Planning Institute of Australia thought this was worthy of an urban design award. 

Defensive architecture – hostile design

A concrete bench with spike barriers to prevent people from sleeping and even sitting.Design is powerful. It can include or exclude. While many designers are doing their best to be inclusive, others are deliberately creating hostile designs. Why do this? It’s under the heading of “defensive architecture” – ways to prevent crime. But should this be solved with design – it’s the opposite of universal design.

An article from UNSW begins, “Spike, bars and barricades are not typically things you would associate with a park. But it turns out they are part of a growing suite of hostile design interventions in public spaces.”

Creating urban discomfort

Spikes are embedded in flat surfaces underneath bridges to deter rough sleepers. Seats and flat surfaces made too uncomfortable to sit on for any length of time. Flat surfaces act as seating for those tired legs. Meanwhile, it goes against all the principles of universal design and encouraging people to get out and about.

The article is titled, Defensive architecture: design at its most hostile. It has examples and pictures and discusses the issues of designing to exclude. 

There is a similar article in The Guardian, Anti-homeless spikes: ‘Sleeping rough opened my eyes to the city’s barbed cruelty‘. 

Image courtesy UNSW newsroom.

What good is design if not for everyone?

Johan Carey in jeans and black polo shirt is on the stage at a Ted Talk on what good is design if it's not for everyone.“I believe design functions like the soundtrack that we are not fully aware we are playing. It sends subconscious messages about how to feel and what to expect” says John Carey in his Ted Talk. So what good is design if it’s not for everyone?

John Carey calls fellow architects to create places and spaces for people other than themselves – who, for the most part are white males. “Dignity is to design is what justice is to law and health is to medicine”. “The design reflects back to you your value”. “If good design is only for a privileged few, what good is it?” “Good design shapes our idea of who we are in the world and what we deserve.”

Unlike law and medicine, architecture has failed to attract and sustain women and people of colour. This is a passionate talk that does not mention accessibility specifically, but is a call to consider everyone in designs. Check it out.

Older people and product design

Industry’s ideas about the usability of their products doesn’t match those of older people. That’s what the Centre for Modern Ageing found in their survey of 1000 older people and product design. Given Australia’s ageing population, product designers should focus more on making everyday products more user-friendly. That means taking a universal design approach and using co-design methods.

A word cloud created a visual representation of how many times respondents used a word to describe the difficulties they have with product design. And these are everyday products. The image is from the report.

A screenshot from the report showing a word cloud. Words include difficult, small, expensive, complicated, poor instructions, impossible, frustrating and disappointing.

Key findings from the survey

Key findings focused on products older people use in their daily lives.

  • 93% said product usability supports independent living
  • 43% rarely or never seek assistance to operate the product even when dissatisfied with product usability
  • More than 50% believe products are not user-friendly.

The Image is from the report.

A graphic showing the different issues with product design. Opening mechanisms, weight and handling, safety, connectivity and compatibility, inadequate instruction, remotes and interfaces, small print and complicated technology

Grip issues related to slippery handles, tight lids, weight of products, and small text on labels and confusing instructions weren’t helpful either. Product packaging is also a challenge and probably not just for older people.

Electronic devices with menus and different functions as well as issues connecting devices to others and to networks were difficult and challenging.

The title of the report is Empowering Older Australian with Better Product Usability. Go to the Global Centre for Modern Ageing to download the report for more detail.

Help for product designers

The Inclusive Design Toolkit from the University of Cambridge has an Exclusion Calculator to show how many people can’t use a design due to their level of capability. It covers most of the issues discussed in the report. It’s an excellent online resource for product designers.

The Universal Design of Products and Services has more detailed information which includes guidelines on body size.

Note that some designs are potentially covered by the Australian Disability Discrimination Act.

Useability of small kitchen appliances

A busy array of small kitchen appliances and cooking utensils.

Meal preparation is something most of us do every day. It’s not until you can’t do it that you realise how much it impacts on wellbeing, independence and quality of life. 

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee worked with General Electric to develop an audit tool they can apply to the design of their small appliances. The tool can be used by engineers, retailers and individuals as well.

The title of the tool is Small Kitchen Appliance Accessibility and Universal Design Information Tool (SKA AUDIT). It includes 7 features: doors, lids, dials, on/off water reservoirs, buttons and “ready” indicators. Both physical and cognitive conditions were considered in the development of the tool.

The title of the article is Small Kitchen Appliance Accessibility and Universal Design Information Tool (SKA AUDIT).  

The Pain of Design

A work table is filled with paper and folders and a woman is cutting a piece of paper with scissors. It looks like a group of people are working on a design.

Arthritis is a common condition and is not often referred to as a disability. However, the pain of arthritis is disabling. So how to design out pain? Design Council ran a workshop with people with arthritis. They found that no-one was interested in special products, which are often stigmatising. So the principle of inclusive design became the top issue.

“Inclusive design is crucial. You have to step away from the idea that it’s “older people” having a problem and start looking at a universal problem and therefore a universal solution.”

They found the most important thing is that people want desirable, stylish, mainstream products that anyone would want to own. People don’t want medicalised, stigmatising equipment. Clearly, including the user-voice is the way to design for all rather than the mythical average. 

The article is titled, Ollie Phelan of Versus Arthritis writes about the importance of the end-user being at the heart of design, and can be accessed on the Medium.com website where there is more information.

Inclusive instructions for domestic appliances

Is your new kitchen gadget or appliance intuitive to use? How about the instructions on the device? Every model of microwave, even within the same brand, has a different operating system. This doesn’t help. And some of the icons that are meant to guide the user don’t make sense to everyone in the same way. So what can industrial designers do about creating inclusive instructions for domestic appliances? A human-centred design approach provides some answers.

Three researchers looked at how this problem can be solved because kitchen appliances are an essential part of life now. Their study took the perspective of older adults, which implies they are the only group with cognition and mental processing issues. Once again, what might be good for some will be good for many others.

The researchers came up with a coding system to help designers and used a microwave as the case study. The coding system considers four aspects of users’ interactions with a microwave. Briefly they are:

  1. Information processing – gathering and interpreting information
  2. Interactions with the microwave’s user interface and control panel
  3. Listening to the users as they use the device
  4. Impediments to the user’s workflow
A standard microwave oven showing the instruction panel.

The study describes their process for developing the coding system for designers, and the details each of the four elements of the code. While other studies use a series of personas, this study used real people and their negative experiences. The researchers also linked the microwave use with ready meal packaging. This allowed them to see the difficulties in interpreting the cooking information and relating it to the device.

Getting it right for users

Simple turning knobs and switches with numbered dials are a thing of the past. So anyone who has difficulty transitioning to a digital display is going to be disadvantaged. Microwaves are an essential tool for people who have difficulty preparing a meal because they can heat ready-made meals.

Poor organisation of information appeared to be a powerful factor in influencing users’ information processing and interactions. The key appears to be getting both sequencing information together as well as activity grouping information. This poses further challenges.

Involving real people and not personas is the key to resolving design issues for users. The researchers acknowledge that getting it right for older people means benefits for many other users.

The title of the article is, A design evaluation tool for older adults using domestic information processing appliances.

Ableism in health care

You’d think health care workers would know about disability, but apparently, disabilities are not discussed or taught in a health care context. Questions over quality of life, ability to decide and choose are all issues that affect people with disability when interacting with the health profession.

An article written by two nurses calls out ableism in health care. Ableism occurs when a person with disability experiences discrimination or prejudice from a health care provider.

A man in a turquoise hospital gown, cap and mask is holding a thumbs up sign. He looks like a nurse or a doctor.

They can underestimate the person’s quality of life or competence which affects their level of care. Patients need to feel safe and not to be fearful of being judged or not being heard.

Case study

The article uses a case study of a 60 year old women with Down syndrome to illustrate the issues during the COVID pandemic. This case is not about the care provider being ableist, but being an advocate for the woman. The doctor was pressured by family members to activate the do not resuscitate (DNR) code when the woman entered ICU. The doctor persisted in advocating for the patient and she eventually recovered.

Communication with patients is key. Patients with cognitive disabilities may face attention, memory and comprehension challenges. Nurses must therefore adapt their communication style, learn about the disability and avoid negative language that insults or demeans.

The authors encourage nurses to advocate for people with disability within health care services and in the design of environments.

Entrance to the emergency section of a hospital.. Co-design and ableism in health care.

Ableism isn’t just about patients – it includes family members, and other health care workers. Knowledge can help overcome stereotypes and stigma and improve health and wellbeing for all. Knowledge also helps nurses and other health professionals to feel confident when engaging with people with disability.

This short summary of Ableism in Health Care is open access, and you can access the full paper in the American Journal of Nursing.

Understanding health inequities

A related book, Health Disparities in the Medical Record and Disability Determinations, contains the proceedings of a workshop. It is open access and the introduction says:

“People with disabilities can be any age, face chronic health conditions or mental illness, belong to a minority group, experience low income or housing insecurity, have limited English proficiency, or a combination of many of these conditions. To better understand the effect of health inequities and the manner in which they affect Social Security Administration’s (SSA) disability programs, the National Academies hosted a public workshop in April 2024 that examined the variety of different experiences of individuals with disabilities and the consequences of those experiences on an individual’s health status, medical record, and SSA disability determinations.”