5.0 Conclusion
Based on the findings of this report, RBC can generally improve upon the universal usability of its Insurance building. There are some features in the building that conform to the universal design principles as well as functional characteristics within universal design. Some of these include Braille and tactile lettering on the elevator buttons and washroom signs, wheelchair accessible doors, toilets and sinks, and tiled washroom floors and walls. At a general level, it is expected that every building has these features. Thus, it can be seen that the RBCI buildings is meeting the bare minimum in requirements.
In every interaction experience that an employee has with the building, there could be improvements. For instance, wheelchair doors and elevators had timers that were too fast and did not allow wheelchair users a sufficient amount of time to pass through. A slower timer would be more beneficial to this group of employees. Integral buttons such as elevator buttons and key card security placements were low. This is beneficial for people who have low motor skills and low hand or arm functions.
In many cases, there were no tactile maps, let alone regular maps for users to navigate through areas of the building. Upon entrance a map and tactile map would have been beneficial to accommodate a large number of people. Once people reach a floor, both of these maps would be useful for the location of integral areas, such as board rooms and washrooms. Even in the washroom, a tactile map would have been beneficial for the visually impaired so that they could navigate through the washroom at a more efficient level.
Other ways to make visually-impaired employees feel comfortable is to move the large black poles that lie in the middle of main hallways, and place a waterfall garden in the main concession area. Although these features may be costly, they would include this group of users and make them feel much more comfortable (O'Shea, 2005). Employees with visual impairments could use the sounds of the waterfall and the smells of the garden to direct them towards the cafeteria area. In this way, the louder the sounds of the waterfall and the stronger the smell of the garden would indicate that the user is getting closer to the cafeteria area. At the same time, these design features would not take away from the aesthetics of the building design. These features would arguably enhance the aesthetics of the overall design.
While the overall design of the building is aesthetically pleasing, this analysis has proven that only the bare minimum requirements are met where universal usability is concerned. Taking into account the above recommendations will not only aid the building's universal usability, it will also not take away from the buildings aesthetics. Given that RBC is ranked as a top global public company, they need to keep on top of new universal usability developments in order to ‘include' the greatest amount of people, with varying abilities. |
