Accessibility, Usability and Universal Design relate to and complement each other. All three are needed, since they capture different aspects of what influences the conditions for participation:
- Accessibility: Can you access, understand and use it? It's the baseline – a legal and moral obligation.
- Usability is about the quality of use, seen from the individual’s or group’s perspective. How effective and satisfying is the use?
- Universal Design is a value-based approach to designing for diversity that should permeate all aspects of society, from the start.
For more detailed definitions and thoughts on how to interpret and use the concepts, see Hedvall et al. [1].
The Matrix below distinguishes between what we evaluate (columns): Accessibility, Usability, and Universal Design and how we evaluate it (rows): Output Evaluation, Process Evaluation, and Societal Impact Evaluation.
Now, we need your help: For each cell, suggest indicators, methods, questions, etc. that could help evaluate that combination. How would you, for instance, evaluate the lower-right corner: “Universal Design” & “Societal Impact Evaluation”?
What would you evaluate in each cell?
Not all cells need answers. Contribute where you have ideas. Please feel free to comment in Swedish or English.