What is UD for Information?
IT will increasingly become a powerful entity in our daily lives as well
as our society. However, in a society where there are a large number of
people who are still unable to access this new technology, consumer
dissatisfaction will multiply, the growth of the industry will be
stifled, and Japan will ultimately become incapable of keeping up with
the rest of the world.
Digital Divide is a term often used to
point to a layer of the population unable to use the current available
IT. This term also refers to individuals who are unable to access IT for
reason of insufficient resources in an environment. If IT machines and
tools such as PCs, cellular phones, PDAs, information home electronics
are created with more accessible features for beginner IT users, senior
citizens, persons with disabilities, a hugely ignored market will be
satisfied, and the cost of the corporate spending on customer support
will most probably diminish. If homepages and e-mail, Internet and
Intranet were easier to read by persons with disabilities and the
elderly, a quickly expanding layer of the Japanese population will be
given the opportunity to access this information and the Internet will
exhibit its real power. If broadcasting and mass media events were
designed to accommodate a more wide range of users, the span of
customers and activities in which the entire family can share will
expand.
UD for Information aims to create a society where more people can be happy about the development of IT.
Accessibility and Assistive Technology
Accessibility refers to the ability to access and use places and
information. When speaking on more general terms of convenience of use,
we often use the term Usability.
Assistive technology refers to the technology tools that individuals
with disabilities, and the elderly use to support their use of available
technology.
Eyeglasses and hearing aids are included as assistive products, but with
regard to assistive technology, a good reference is the database of IT
tools listed in the Kokoro Web homepage.
When creating a single product for all is not realistic or possible,
structuring the product to be used in conjunction with assistive
technology is also considered an act of Universal Design.
