Related OER Reading: https://globaludlclassroom.org/our-content/udl-information/an-introduction-to-udl/
In this assignment, you will redesign an existing resource with a focus on universal accessibility.
What is Universal Design?
"Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. An environment (or any building, product, or service in that environment) should be designed to meet the needs of all people who wish to use it. This is not a special requirement, for the benefit of only a minority of the population. It is a fundamental condition of good design. If an environment is accessible, usable, convenient and a pleasure to use, everyone benefits. By considering the diverse needs and abilities of all throughout the design process, universal design creates products, services and environments that meet peoples' needs. Simply put, "universal design is good design" (National Disability Authority, 2017; emphasis added).
Click here to read the 7 Principles of Universal Design. You'll use these principles while working on your redesign.
Then, click here to read three example case studies about universal design (UD). They will give you an idea of the types of strategies you'll use when analyzing and redesigning your materials, as well as some ideas of companies that do UD well.
Also, watch these three short videos from Udacity (each are about 3 minutes each), relating to accessibility and universal design. They're part of an interview series with Jen Kozenski Devins, who is the UX Designer for Google Apps Accessibility:
Now you'll work on a redesign of an existing resource.
Step 1: Choose Something to Redesign
You may choose a website, print document, or digital document. Whichever you choose must have a minimum of five pages (or screens; e.g., five different pages from the same website).
Step 2: Complete Your Analysis
Regardless of which option you choose from above, you will use the 7 Principles of Universal Design (as you read about above) to guide your analysis and recommendations.
Of course, not all of the principles may seem immediately applicable when considering the redesign of specific materials you've chosen, so you may need to think more broadly. For instance, when considering a user's "physical effort," you might consider how many keystrokes it takes a user to get to a particular part of a website, or how many pages of a document they'd have to flip through to find the information they'd want and need.
Step 3: Complete Your Deliverables
The final deliverables for this assignment include:
Don't Forget to Consider Broad User Groups
Regardless of which option you choose for this assignment, you should think beyond just the first few things you may think of re: disabilities and universal usability and accessibility. That is, consider the following user groups:
... and so on. This isn't a comprehensive list.
To that end, you should think about a person's physical ability, as well as their emotional response to a particular interface. What aspects of their life -- and their learning styles -- will and should be relevant while working on your redesign?
To receive points for your assignment, email your instructor with your redesigned materials, the original materials, and your memo. Please indicate "Redesign Materials" in the email subject line.
Openly share your work -- and get published! License your work with Creative Commons and I will host it as part of a future textbook and/or asset library linked to a future textbook about technical communication, interaction design, and user experience. Your work will serve as an example for other students at Boise State and elsewhere.
If you would like to contribute to the project, email me with a copy of the work you'd like to openly license (or tell me when you turn it in that you'd like to do so). You will earn 10 extra credit points for sharing your initial work, and up to 5 extra credit points for sharing additional, updated versions throughout the semester (up to a maximum total of 25 bonus points per submitted assignment/deliverable). Every iteration should present a richer example for future students to benefit from.
For this bonus opportunity, you will also be recognized as a co-author of the open textbook, once it has been published.