Universal Advantage
A great bathing area and bathing system should be designed to allow for the safe care of all individuals – directly addressing the needs of the individual being bathed and the caregiver. Sounds simple, to the point, and common-place doesn’t it? Well, not exactly.
First, lets look at the meaning of universal design – The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for excessive adaptation or specialized room design. Second, Client handling solutions to reduce the strain and stress of human transfer and repositioning activities should be a high-level priority of any healthcare provider’s ergonomics and health and safety committee.
Advocates of Universal design have compiled a list of principles for the industry to follow when designing products… apparently some didn’t get that memo… we did!
Principle 1: Equitable Use
The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.
- Provide the same means of use for all users: identical whenever possible; equivalent when not
- Avoid segregating or stigmatizing any user
- provisions for privacy, security, and safety should be equally available to all users
- Make the design appealing to all users
Principle 2: Flexibility in Use
The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities- Provide choice in methods of use
- Accommodate right and left handed use
- Facilitate the user’s accuracy and precision ability
- Provide adaptability to the user’s pace
Principle 3: Simple and Intuitive Use
Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level- Eliminate unnecessary complexity
- Be consistent with user expectations and intuition
- Accommodate a wide range of literacy and language skills
- Arrange information consistent with its importance
- Provide effective prompting and feedback during and after task completion
Principle 4: Perceptible Information
The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities- User different modes (pictorial, verbal, tactical) for redundant presentation of essential information
- Provide adequate contrast between essential information and its surroundings
- Maximize “legibility” of essential information
- Differentiate elements in ways that can be described (i.e., make it easy to give instructions or directions)
- Provide compatibility with a variety of techniques or devices used by people with sensory limitations
Principle 5: Tolerance for Error
The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions
- Arrange elements to minimize hazards and errors: most used elements, most accessible; hazardous elements eliminated, isolated, or shielded
- Provide warnings of hazards and errors
- Provide fail safe features
- Discourage unconscious action in tasks that require vigilance
Principle 6: Low Physical Effort
The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue
- Allow user to maintain a neutral body position
- Use reasonable operating forces
- Minimize repetitive actions
- Minimize sustained Physical effort
Principle 7: Size and Space for Approach of Use
Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of user’s body size, posture, or mobility
- Provide a clear line of sight to important elements for any seated or standing user
- Make reach to all components comfortable for any seated or standing user
- Accommodate variations in hand and grip size
- Provide adequate space for use of assistive devices or personal assistance
