Practicing universal design to actual hand tool design process.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Product Design
• Usability Engineering

Background:

• Implementing universal design (UD) principles in practical product design poses significant challenges.
• Existing UD evaluation methods often lack direct integration into the design process.
• Bridging the gap between theoretical UD principles and tangible product development is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a methodology for integrating universal design (UD) into the product design process via user participation.
• To develop evaluation items based on original UD principles and user experience, considering product type variations.
• To enhance the effectiveness of UD evaluation in product design.

Main Methods:

• Development of evaluation items integrating UD principles and user experience.
• Application of factor analysis and Quantification Theory Type I for item refinement and relationship analysis.
• Consideration of product type differences in the evaluation framework.
• Establishment of product design specifications for empirical verification.

Main Results:

• A generalized evaluation scale, based on product attributes and design factors, was developed.
• The methodology successfully converted user evaluations into critical design verification factors.
• The proposed approach demonstrated an improvement in users' universal design (UD) evaluation.
• The study confirmed the relationship between evaluation items and specific product design factors.

Conclusions:

• The proposed user-centered methodology facilitates the implementation of universal design (UD) in product development.
• Converting user feedback into design verification factors enhances the usability and inclusivity of products.
• This approach contributes to more effective user-centered universal design (UD) applications.
• The study provides a practical framework for designers to incorporate UD effectively.