Inclusive Design

Another principle which interests me a great deal and has influenced my design process is inclusive design.
It was only in my second year of university that I began to take an interest in inclusive or universal design, but I think my perceptions on this principle show that it has its base in a ‘common sense’ attitude to design.
The term universal design was defined by the founder of The Centre of Universal Design, Ron Mace, as “The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design…”
This is the reason then, why I think it is based on a common sense attitude. An attitude in fact which makes it, in my eyes, necessary in any good design.
With a broader spectrum of households nowadays, plus an increase in the over 50’s population means that there is a great need for not only products that can be used by children, adults and the elderly, but products that still look and feel good doing so.
The demand for inclusive products is growing, as the older, over 50s generation now have the largest amount of time and money to spare. The main target market for household appliances is quickly shifting to an older age group, which means that to appeal to a market with possible physical and mental impairments. Products with universality in mind are moving into the designer’s conscious.