Comments on: Thoughts on universal design http://www.formfollowsbehavior.com/2007/05/01/thoughts-on-universal-design/ informal reflections Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:51:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Christian Marc Schmidt http://www.formfollowsbehavior.com/2007/05/01/thoughts-on-universal-design/#comment-243 Christian Marc Schmidt Sat, 12 May 2007 17:06:09 +0000 http://www.formfollowsbehavior.com/2007/05/01/is-universal-design-an-illusion/#comment-243 <em>"Design will always carry an element of subjectivity, but through the use of universal metaphor it can aim to address the broadest possible audience."</em> In that sense, universal design is never an end-state, but rather an objective or a philosophy, a vector not an artifact. Returning to the initial question, a universal design approach is a way of directing the design process, utilizing universal metaphors as opposed to distinctly personal references. As such, it is an attempt to overcome authorship, and while involuntarily set up for failure, it can be seen as an incremental search for objectivity. “Design will always carry an element of subjectivity, but through the use of universal metaphor it can aim to address the broadest possible audience.”

In that sense, universal design is never an end-state, but rather an objective or a philosophy, a vector not an artifact. Returning to the initial question, a universal design approach is a way of directing the design process, utilizing universal metaphors as opposed to distinctly personal references. As such, it is an attempt to overcome authorship, and while involuntarily set up for failure, it can be seen as an incremental search for objectivity.

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