Universal and inclusive design: Are they the same thing?

Universal design and inclusive design are closely related design approaches both aimed at making environments and products usable by a wide range of people.

These concepts share a lot of common ground, but they have different origins. Universal design has its roots in the physical environments while inclusive design emerged as a framework for designing in the digital realm. As a result, inclusive design puts more emphasis on diverse solutions and adaptations, without contradicting universal design principles.

Both approaches seek to improve accessibility and user experience for all people, but they have subtle philosophical differences arising from their distinct beginnings. Simply put, universal design asks “How can we make this design work for as many users as possible?” while inclusive design asks “What alternatives can we offer to make sure everyone’s unique needs are met?”

Traditionally, inclusive design has been thought of as a process or methodology​, which includes iteration based on user feedback. It’s usually described as an ongoing process rather than a one-time outcome, largely influenced by the flexibility of the digital design, which allows for personalised experiences, customisable interfaces, and product iterations for both hardware and software. 

Universal design is often outcome focused. The realities of designing for a physical environment mean that designs generally need to serve as many users as possible (like a single building entrance) because multiple adaptations aren’t feasible or affordable. As a result, inclusiveness is part of the design process, but universal design has traditionally followed seven principles focused on creating a final design that is universally accessible and avoids the need for after-the-fact modifications. 

Because of differences, some experts consider inclusive design an extension of universal design. However, because of their goals of improving accessibility and inclusivity, the terms are used interchangeably in some regions and industries, especially when it comes to designing for the built environment. So are they the same? Let’s take a closer look.

What is universal design?

Universal design has its roots in architecture. It strives for one solution that works for all users, minimising the need for adaptations. It also emphasises the benefits that universal design can bring to everyone, focusing on common needs that all humans share, such as the need for clear information or comfortable use. Universal design has seven core principles, accompanied by brief guidelines that stress designing for these shared needs:

1. Equitable use
2. Flexibility in use
3. Simple and intuitive
4. Perceptible information
5. Tolerance for error
6. Low physical effort
7. Size and space for approach and use.
   
   

Universal design attempts to benefit everyone, but by designing for broad user needs, its solutions cannot always address every need for every person in every circumstance, especially as users’ individual needs sometimes conflict. For instance, a universal design solution often includes bright lights and contrasting colours to make spaces accessible for individuals with vision impairments. However, an individual with photophobia, a medical condition that causes extreme light sensitivity, may find these spaces inaccessible. 

Although developed for the built environment, the seven principles of universal design can be applied to any design realm, including digital and product design.

What is inclusive design?

Unlike universal design’s origins in architecture, inclusive design emerged as a framework in digital product design​, though its principles can be applied anywhere. 

While closely related to universal design, inclusive design places emphasis on designing for diversity and the individual user.  It highlights differences and outliers: it deliberately designs for edge cases and varied conditions. 

Inclusive design solutions increase accessibility by meeting varied user needs as fully as possible, even if that means offering different options for different users to avoid marginalising anyone​. It places a heavy emphasis on social and cultural inclusion for all facets of diversity–including culture, language, age, gender and more. 

In practice, inclusive design might mean designing a particular product for one type of user, with adjustments that maximise its performance for those specific users. It can also mean providing multiple ways for people to engage with a product or environment. For example, an inclusive website might offer both text and voice interfaces, support multiple languages, or allow the user to customise contrast, or a  plaster company might make plasters in a variety of skin tones, rather than generalise to the average consumer in its target market. Similarly, a product interface might include a variety of skin tone options in an emoji. 

Many tech companies increasingly emphasised the importance of inclusive design in their products. Digital designers often use universal design principles as a basis for their inclusive design frameworks, with companies like Microsoft and Adobe having gone so far as to create their own sets of inclusive design principles. For instance, Microsoft’s three inclusive design principles are:

1. Recognise exclusion
2. Learn from diversity
3. Solve for one, extend to many.
   
   

While the first two principles build off universal design, the final principle underscores the inclusive design philosophy of creating one solution for an individual’s specific needs and then finding ways to extend that solution to more audiences, even if doing so requires additional adjustments and modifications. 

The evolution of universal and inclusive design: The merging of two philosophies

While universal design began in architecture and product design (think of physical spaces, tools, consumer products), it has extended into digital design. Likewise, inclusive design gained prominence in digital/UX design, but today it is applied in architecture and products as well. 

In terms of a design process, universal and inclusive design both advocate for involving diverse users and listening to their needs and feedback when designing. Likewise, both philosophies champion having design teams that include people who represent a range of abilities and backgrounds to better inform accessibility and usability and avoid design gaps.

These two approaches complement rather than compete with one another. Depending on the circumstances, they can—and have increasingly been—used together to promote accessibility for all. Consequently, the lines between the two philosophies and approaches have begun to blur, resulting in many organisations using them interchangeably in all realms of design.

In recent years, the United Kingdom has increasingly opted for the term universal design to encompass the evolution and merger of these two accessible design concepts. In 2006, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment developed a set of five inclusive design principles to guide the government on public space, architectural, and urban design projects. As a result, the term inclusive design has increasingly been used interchangeably with universal design throughout the region.

Ultimately, regardless of the terminology used, the growing embrace of these philosophies and their ethos is profoundly beneficial to everyone. Expanding their influence across all areas of design enhances accessibility, fosters inclusivity and ensures that environments, products, and experiences genuinely cater to diverse human needs. As these design approaches evolve, their combined momentum promises better outcomes for everyone.