Fundamentals of inclusive HCI design

Abstract

In this paper authors review several fundamental issues necessary for the design of inclusive human-computer interaction systems. The main objective is to vindicate the adoption of the Universal Accessibility paradigm in the design of main stream applications. Given that the authors think that current technology and design methods and tools are mature enough for inclusive design, they studied the conditions for its full deployment and propose the elimination of the found obstacles. In this paper, after justifying the importance of the Design for AU, the main restrictions to inclusive design are reviewed and the need for a user oriented approach is showed. Other crucial matters to ensure inclusive design, such as user full participation and ethical and social impact avoidance, are analyzed. To finish, the role of the Assistive technology, in relation to Design for All is discussed. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.