Ravishankar Design

As a student of design when I would show my design concept to my teachers each had a view: Teacher 1 Looks at the work and says “maybe…I don’t know..yes! hmmm.. maybe possible…” and smiles. Dealing with Intangibles & Ambiguity Teacher2 “where are the lines defining the form going?”…stretching his arms spanning the view in the window says, “everything is a composition”. Design Principles Teacher3 “how will a left handed person use it!” Empathy, Usability Teacher4 Look at the work and would instantly start drawing 10 variations of a specific detail in the design (in your orientation across the table) Creativity, Exploration, Multiple Options Teacher5 With only a glance” how will it be made?” Manufacturability, Cost Teacher6 “Who and why will somebody buy this?” Customer definition, Value Perception Teacher7 “Some how it doesn’t justify…why!” Context & Need

When I talk to people about Universal Design… the questions I have encountered and the answers I had for them, sample a few: Q: It is Idealist A: It is good to be idealist in inception to achieve a solution which is close to it. Q: Will it work in India A: Everything works in India Q: You cannot bring any change in this country A: UD is about bringing Incremental Change Q: Is UD for disabled people A: UD is about inclusion and harnessing assistive technology for all Q: Isn’t UD fundamental to design thinking and practice A: Yes UD is fundamental design process which business needs to align with because design most often is driven by popular needs and audience. Q: Ok what is it then A: It’s a Practice Q: We (India) are condemned to be Universal (!) A: Let there be the syrup bottle cap that is easy to open Q: People are indifferent, undisciplined A: Design to Discipline will be an attribute of UD Q: It cannot be applied to all products A: Maybe, but 50% of users are ...