Universal Design: Lessons for Wearable Computing

Wearable Computing W hen we as developers and designers create a system that requires user interaction—whether it is computer software, a kitchen appliance , or a door knob—we often fall victim to a common mistake: we use ourselves as the model for our system's potential users. Even developing for an " average user " is a pitfall that results in numerous users whose needs are overlooked. The average user might account for the largest spike under a bell curve, but nonaverage users account for a much larger percentage of the general population. Additionally, the number of people possessing all of the average attributes being considered in a design is very small. So, the design-ers' goal should be to broaden the section of the bell curve that their system targets. This concept is called universal design, and it's especially important in wearable computing because using a system while mobile and while in different environments can have a major effect on its usability. Universal design attempts to create products that are as usable as possible by as many people as possible, regardless of age, ability, or situation. 1 Not only are such designs more accessible to people with disabilities, they are also more usable and functional for all users. For example, a system designed for a blind user shares similar attributes with a system designed for a user who is driving a car and cannot look at a screen. A system designed for a deaf user will also be useful to a person using the system in a noisy restaurant. Similarly, a wearable computer user attempting to control a graphical user interface while walking has much in common with an older user with low vision and low dexterity. Special concerns about user limitations exist for wearable devices that will be used in environments that the designer might not anticipate. The practice of universal design has resulted in many products originally intended for the disabled population that benefit everyone—closed captioning, books on tape, and even the telephone, for example. Conversely, sometimes a product's designers don't anticipate the large market their device will have among the disabled community. The RIM Blackberry, a wireless handheld that can send and receive email and text messages, has become hugely popular in the deaf community because it lets people who might not be able to speak on a cell phone have mobile communication access. In many senses, some …