Universal design
Designing products and places so that as many people as possible can use them without adaptation.
Universal design is the idea, which came from architecture, that buildings, products, and services should be usable by as many people as possible without needing a special version or an adaptation. A level entrance that everyone uses, rather than stairs plus a ramp around the back, is the classic example. Lever door handles, automatic doors, and large-print signs are others.
On the web, universal design means one site that works for everyone, rather than a separate accessible version that is forgotten and falls out of date. It overlaps with inclusive design, which focuses on the process and the people at the edges, and with accessibility, which measures the result against a standard. The curb-cut effect is what universal design looks like when it succeeds.
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