Few people knew that I studied music until my teens. And even though I failed the last level 3 times, I still remember some days in the music garden -which was the most fun. I remember my dino folder (from the Flintstones), what room it was, its smell, and that you could see the city from the conservatory window.
I also specifically remember one test. I was 5 and brilliantly had managed to rhythmically combine my steps with the hitting of two sticks in my hands. My mom says that she practiced with me for days until the day of the test -I don’t remember this. I remember that there were boys and girls with different needs. The exam was the same: we had to alternate the hitting of the sticks with the sound of our footsteps.
Without knowing or understanding it, the universal meaning of music was always present in class. It was known that music could be -and was- for everyone. It had no limits, no forms, no tastes. It was for whoever wanted it.
Same kind of idea, different expression
It is difficult to explain that design can be -and is- for everyone.
Universal design is a term that has been present in conversations for some years; [term] created by the architect Ron Mace, who defines it as the creation of products and environments designed so that they are usable by everyone without the need for them to be adapted.
It is a process that must start from ideation. And from that point, we intervene. There are ways to make our projects, designs, and products accessible, considering people and their needs.
“Good [accessible] design happens when you view your [design] from many different perspectives, or lenses.”
— Jesse Schell, The art of game design: a book of lenses
A lens is a filter through which we interpret a subject, asks us to question what we see or how we see it and expand through a different context. Those lenses help us understand how all design aspects affect everyone’s needs.
“Most don’t design to exclude – they just don’t know what they don’t know…”
— Michael Osborne
My uncle always says that knowledge is power, and power is for change.
The use of animation or movements and its repercussion for people with scotopic sensitivity or Irlen syndrome (SS/IS). The use of colors for people on the autism spectrum or colorblind. The typography and its use for people with dyslexia. The Structure or layout is used for people with attention deficit disorder. Those amidst other aspects can transform the value of any project.
From a design point of view and decision, we have the power to change things and make decisions. Ask and answer questions that perhaps no one has asked. For example, is the typography easy to read? Are the colors oversaturated or have high contrast that might cause overstimulation? Do the videos have transcripts or subtitles? Is there an effect that can cause a seizure? Is a control not big enough for someone to reach?
This entire process would make our project more effective in communicating its mission, but it would also give visibility and validation to different groups of people.
A choice that is small for design can make a HUGE change.
Luckily, there are plenty of resources and tools to deal with these and more aspects, such as web layout controls, live/dead time of parts, images, and icons, and audio/video versus people with hearing or comprehension problems with motor problems, etc. The design and the people who carry it out, in one way or another, can make the paradigm more comprehensive and complete: to achieve the common good.
A little reality check: not every lens applies to a project, but everything that can contribute to or improve our way of living is a good practice. It is up to us to find a way to add as many as possible.
That is why creativity exists.
val guerra
Art Director @ done!
P.S.: If you were wondering, the entire class passed the exam. Who would fail 5-years-old girls and boys in a musical kindergarten for not having enough rhythm? 🦦💀🤣
