Universal design is elementary

Faculty and students in the Design and Industry Department recently helped elementary school students in San Francisco envision a remote control that would be accessible to everyone.

In an outreach project for Hitachi Corp., the Clarendon Elementary School students learned about universal design, an approach that tries to make products, graphics, environments and buildings usable for all people regardless of age or ability.

Professor and Chair Ricardo Gomes led the project, with editorial design direction by Assistant Professor Hsiao-Yun Chu and and design development by grad students Hiroki Takeshita and Ikue Enomoto. Working closely with Hitachi in the Bay Area and Tokyo, they revised an existing program the corporation runs in Japan. Afterward, SF State presented recommendations to Hitachi on using the new curriculum with other classes in the U.S.

“The experience was, for me, very gratifying and amazing,” Chu said. “Students really picked up on universal design principles, displayed both empathy and a sense of environmental concern, and were very engaged in the entire process.”