About Human Centered Design (HCD)

The primary tool that Tripod Design uses to achieve HCD is Universal Design. Universal Design means design for people of all ages and abilities. At some time during our lives, we all have problems with the spaces where we live or work or the products we use. Age, illness, or accidents can make these problems more difficult. Universal Design is the practice of considering these factors in designing as inclusively and equitably as possible - for people of any age or ability. "Design for all", and "inclusive design" are essentially identical concepts. The seven principles of Universal Design were developed by the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University, under major funding from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the United States Department of Education. The seven principles are as follows:

Principle 1 :: Equitable Use

The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.
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Principle 2 :: Flexibility in Use

The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.

Principle 3 :: Simple & Intuitive Use

Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level.

Principle 4 :: Perceptible Information

The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities.

Principle 5 :: Tolerance for Error

The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.

Principle 6 :: Low Physical Effort

The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue.

Principle 7 :: Size and Space for Approach and Use

Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of user's body size, posture, or mobility.

Through its own product development initiatives, and through technological research collaboration with a number of companies and designers, Tripod Design has used UD guidelines to develop its Product Performance Program (PPP), a proprietary method for evaluating objectively, from the viewpoint of the product user, to what degree UD values were incorporated in the design and make-up of a particular product. In addition to the 7 UD principles that focus primarily on usability, Tripod Design added three more design principals that focus on a product's marketability. They are 1) Attention to Product Durability and Production Economics, 2) Attention to Product Quality and Aesthetics, and 3) Attention to People's Health and the Natural Environment.

The PPP system is a 55 guideline check list that Tripod Design uses to pursue UD in the various stages of a product's development, from product planning, to product design draft, trial manufacturing, to product marketing and sales.

PPP helps Tripod's product developers and designers to objectively evaluate their own awareness and perceptions vis-à-vis a given product. Unlike common evaluation methods that narrowly focus on process output only, PPP monitors very carefully the evolution of a product design to ensure that neither the internal biases of the company, nor the personal preferences or preconceptions of the designer, result in a product that only specific customers can use effectively. PPP disciplines Tripod's product designers to be "aware" of UD values, and work with an active, objective mindset throughout the entire process of designing and creating a product.

As a check to validate their progress with new designs, throughout the design process Tripod's designers test product prototypes at different stages of development with consumers representing a broad range of ages and physical abilities.

By implementing PPP into each and every step of the product development process - from planning all the way through to the final design and production - Tripod Design ensures that the consumer's point of view is firmly integrated into the process, resulting in the creation of a product with superior usability for consumers both with and without physical disabilities.

We invite you to look around our site to learn more about Human Centered Design. Please bookmark this page and check back with us from time to time. We will soon begin distributing a newsletter by email to educate consumers about HCD issues. If you would like to get your name on the list now to receive the newsletter, please send an email to hcdnews@tripoddesign.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line and we will add you to the distribution list.