On Good Design And Accessibility

Design is a big deal. But it’s the kind of big deal that you rarely notice if it’s done well. Things just feel…effortless. Of course part of design is fit and sizing, but other aspects relate to innovation, uniqueness, beauty and style. A lot goes into a good design.

Nothing teaches you good design like bad design. If it’s clothes or jewelry it rubs, grabs, or just doesn’t sit right. Good design is not just beautiful, its unobtrusive and forgiving. And yet so often, good design is hard to achieve.

Of course truly great design often becomes iconic – so inspired it becomes a classic. Alessi’s housewares, Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings, Hayward Wakefield furniture. We can’t expect that from everything. But at the very least, design should be accessible.

Working with design and accessibility years ago found me doing interviews and understanding how everyday things can make life impossible for some. Most of us don’t think about it because often bad design presents as an inconvenience that we can get around, but think about a ramps vs stairs for people using wheel chairs, or stair-only access when you have a heavy piece of luggage to move.

Accessibility is a design consideration, the practice of making things sensible, meaningful, and usable for as many people as possible. It supports inclusion for all people, including those with disabilities and older people, but benefits everyone. So while it enables more people to enjoy or use something, it doesn’t exclude others. And it’s not just for industrial purposes! People with different needs should be able to have nice things too.​ How many times have you balanced off a bad day or experience by purchasing something indulgent for yourself? Think of how that helped. Now imagine they didn’t have your size, your shape, your length. Compounded frustration.

For these reasons and more, I believe that accessibility should be part of all design.