Lesson 7: BEAUTIFUL....AND USABLE BY ALL!



TITLE ROW: Selected Designer Can images by Anderson

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After this gorgeous mission, you'll be able to:

  1. Re-define beauty in terms of aesthetic value PLUS usability and other Universal Design Principles.

  2. Describe the characteristics of cultural exhibits, environmental designs, and consumer products that are both universally-usable AND beautiful.

WORD BANK: Inclusivity, accommodate, prototype, interactive, exemplars, wayfinding (cues), orientation (board), tactile, auditory, olfactory, safe risk-taking, separation of pedestrian and auto traffic, inter-generational, second-generation, 'green design,' wrap rage, universal packaging objectives,

CONTENT HEADINGS:
What is Beauty?
Off to the Universal Museum!
          Unlimited By Design Exhibit
          'AccessAbility' at Boston Children's Museum
          International Exhibit Designs
Beautiful Universal Design Exemplars
          Universal Parks and Playgrounds
          Universal, Life-long Housing
Attractive, Universal Consumer Products
          Focus on a Ford
          Examples from Industrial Design
That's a Wrap! ...Universal Packaging

IMAGES:
Unlimited by Design Exhibit Logo: Chicken and egg
AccessAbility Logo from Boston Children's Museum
Dorcas Project from Great Britain (CDROM)
Rinku Park, Graniteville Playground, Sensory Gardens (CDROM)
Life-long House, Chuo Silver Zone, Millay Arts Colony (CDROM)
GE Home Living Center, Macdonald House/Cridge Centre (CDROM)
Ford Focus photos
Teen 'automobile designers' at work
Appollon lamp and Aiphone Video Entry System (CDROM)
New Dutch Boy paint can design
Dude with a Disability makes a Grand Exit (with a little help)

LINKS:
Unlimited by Design and prototype bathroom design from IDEA Center
http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/ubdweb/

Ford Motor Company web site
www.fordvehicles.com

Universal Package conference web site
www.universalpackage.msu.edu/welcome/welcome.htm

Hi-low sink from Italy and washplane from Australia
http://www.hbgroup.it OR http://www.omvivo.com/geo01.htm

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

  1. We are advocates for full access to the arts. All arts organizations should... If they provide anything less, they are breaking laws in existence for 30 years (Staton & Lewis).
  2. The major issue with accessibility is dignity...I like to enter a building at the front with everybody else... (Izthak Perlman).
  3. An EXPERIENCE that's rich and meaningful for audiences with disabilities will almost certainly be rich.....for others, but the reverse ISN'T necessarily true (Slatin).
  4. The UD Movement is really rolling now! I think it's caught fire and people are seeing the advantages and profit from it, plus the common sense of it (Mace).
  5. You can sell an OLD man a YOUNG man's car, but you CAN'T sell a YOUNG man an OLD man's car (Henry Ford).

Lesson 7 LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
All-school UD poster contest

  1. JUST FOR ART (or) ARTY YOUTH: Can you identify the Old Masters whose styles are represented in the artful water closet paintings BY Anderson (1998) on this lesson's title page? Would you describe them as Abeautiful@? (We identify the OM and painting titles at the end of this lesson.)

  2. INTERVIEW AN AUTO SALESPERSON ABOUT UNIVERSALLY-DESIGNED CARS (e.g., Ford Focus or another brand you judge to be UD). Don't be surprised if s/he is unfamiliar with the concept. Take this opportunity to practice UD education one-on-one, using its Asynonyms@ if necessary: Inclusive Design, User-Friendly, and Design for All.

    First, develop a page of interview questions, and if your subject seems to be new to UD, be ready to use the alternate UD terms above or key words from the UD Principles. If s/he uses marketing phrases (e.g., AIntuitive design, fetching and surprisingly hip, chic and distinctive, or cool-y modern@), ask for definitions of their words--in specific, measurable terms.

    Other human-factors car questions: Do these cars fit really tall and really short people equally well? How about leg stretch room, adjustable pedals, Aparking assist@ features, heated/cooled seats, and easy-out swivel seats? Or anti-whiplash seats, tiltable or telescoping steering wheels, adaptive headlights, electronic stability control, and ?? P. S. Just what do those items do, for whom, and why?? Which of the items are standard equipment? (Optional question: If not, how much more does each add to the car price?)

  3. HOW TO SELL A BEAUTIFUL, MYSTERY SINK: In the Links below are a beautiful new, hi-low sink and a wash plane Adesigned for all. Although one description is NOT in English, your Eagle Eyes may figure out the country of originalBa nation famous for its beautiful designBover the Centuries and into the Millennium. The other one is English, but you may not recognize the accent....

    Your Mission is to A) Apply the UD Principles to one of the sink photos to evaluate its universality, then B) brainstorm some sure-fire marketing terms to sell the sink. A few clues: Sink is wall-hung, from 36-60 inches wide (side-to-side), and 24 inches front to back, with one drain on the right.

    Art Students' Option: Create an illustrated magazine advertising layout that extols 'your' sink's beauty and universality. YOU decide whether it's a residential or public-use sink, give it a name, then create your marketing media accordingly. To get ideas, check upscale plumbing suppliers' web sites for similar sinks, plus info on advertising copy in brochures, magazines, etc.

    Paste up the photographs or use line drawings to portray the sink, then add print copy about its uses and advantages. Your slick final layout should be the size of a magazine page (say, 8.5"x11"). You might take your glossy masterpiece to a bathroom designer for a critique. Afterward, re-do the layouts based on his/her suggestionsBto reinforce the knowledge and give your self-esteem an shove forward! CLICK HERE for sink. http://www.hbgroup.it OR http://www.omvivo.com.au.htm

  4. SCAVENGER HUNT FOR BEST AND WORST PACKAGING: Charge to the Mall with friends to find examples of consumer product package winners AND losers. You don't have to buy them, but your critique should mention the opposing objectives that package designers must meet (e.g., painless to open with arthritic hands, not break any teeth, recyclable, child-proof, or likely to cause Awrap rage@).

    At your next birthday party, over cake and ice cream, guests can stage a great debate about the dis/advantages of each package (NOT the gift wrapping!) and make suggestions for universal improvement. (Corny, you say?! Well, it beats bo-o-oring small-talk! We just wanted to see if you read EVERYTHING.)

    Footnote: From left to right, the 'heads' on the title page were painted in the manner of the following Great Masters: Andy Warhol, Georgia O'Keefe, Frida Kahlo, Piet Mondrian, and Marc Chagall.