Have you often noticed that nowadays many restaurants are starting to provide special chairs for toddlers? This chair helps toddlers to sit comfortably and safely and can eat food directly at the attached table.
The presence of special chairs for toddlers is part of inclusive design, a concept created by understanding each person's abilities and background. In fact, this design concept has been developed in various aspects of life, such as public facilities, to applications and websites.
To get to know more about inclusive design, below we summarize the meaning and tips for developing it from trusted sources.
What is inclusive design ?
Inclusive design is a methodology for creating products that understand and enable people from all backgrounds and abilities to benefit from them. Initially, inclusive design was created to facilitate people with physical disabilities to be able to carry out activities without obstacles, specifically in Europe, Japan and the United States, in the 1950s.
However, as time goes by, inclusive design has covered various aspects of human life more broadly, namely taking into account age, economic conditions, geographical location, language, race, and many more. In short, inclusive design is defined as a way of empathizing with users and adapting products to meet their various needs.
Example of Inclusive Design
The following examples are inclusive designs that are often found in everyday life.
Husein Sastranegara Airport, Bandung, carries the concept of inclusive design in the typography and icons used. Airport management uses Neue Haas Grotesk as the default typeface. This typography was chosen because it has a rigid structure but is still visually comfortable. The color itself is still based on standard airport guidelines in general.
Meanwhile, for pictograms (icons) , managers modify them using a grid system so that they look neat and measurable so they are easier to read. It is hoped that the application of this design will create clear information for passengers from other countries who may not be familiar with this writing or help those who are in a hurry.
Ramps or ramps are a basic element in architecture which is very important for people with disabilities. Ramps also make it easier for various groups, such as the elderly, pregnant women and children, to move around. Ramps are now starting to be found in various buildings in the country, for example at bus stops or stations, parks or tourist attractions, to educational facilities such as the University of Indonesia library.
During its construction, the ramp design was made sloping enough so that it could be used by anyone without needing help from other people. Meanwhile, each side of the ramp has a barrier or handrail which makes users feel safe without having to worry about falling.
An adjustable desk is a table that can be adjusted up and down according to needs. This ergonomic furniture makes anyone more comfortable and productive in their activities. Apart from that, this furniture can also help users avoid spine or back problems due to inappropriate table height. Currently, adjustable desks are easy to find in various furniture stores.
Currently, many sidewalks in big cities have guiding blocks for blind pedestrians. Guiding blocks are ceramics or tiles that are specially designed as straight lines and circles that help direct the path of blind people.
The guiding block design is actually adapted from the texture of braille letters to make it easier for blind people to know where they are. There are two embossed textures that are commonly found in guiding blocks, namely those shaped like long capsules and small circles. Guiding blocks with a texture resembling long capsules function to guide the tip of the blind's stick so that it stays on track. Meanwhile, the small dots on the guiding block function as road signs for the visually impaired, for example when you are at an intersection or the guiding block sign will be cut off because you are going through a building.
Apart from that, Guiding blocks are generally striking colors, such as yellow or orange. This is to help people who have low vision to recognize their location, especially at night.
Tips for Developing Inclusive Design
If you are starting to be interested in developing an inclusive design, there are several efforts you can take as a preparatory step, including:
Keep in mind, the concept of inclusive design is to embrace diversity. Therefore, before creating an inclusive design, you need to plan it carefully. For example, by understanding the concept of diversity itself and various examples of inclusive design that have existed. After that, you can start formulating inclusive design ideas that will be designed.
To support whether the design plan you created is feasible or not, direct data from the field is needed. So, in this case you can start conducting surveys, distributing questionnaires, and so on. You can then study the results in more depth until you finally get data conclusions, whether they will support your design or not.
The next step, you can test it with several people before actually launching your design concept. This aims to gather input regarding the product you created. It is hoped that some of the suggestions received can make your product reach more diversity and provide truly tangible benefits.
By applying the three tips above, it will help your design to be more mature and well conceptualized. You can also collaborate with people who have expertise in the type of design that will be developed. Good luck!