1. © Hitachi, Ltd. 2009. All rights reserved.
San Francisco State University/Hitachi
Universal Design Elementary School Workshop
Ricardo Gomes, Professor, Design and Industry Department, SFSU
Hsiao‐Yun Chu, Assistant Professor, Design and Industry Department, SFSU

2. Abstract
This presentation documents the collaborative project between,
Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo, Japan and the Design and Industry Department at
San Francisco State University. The aim of this project was to localize
educational materials for a workshop in Universal Design that Hitachi had
originally developed in 2005 for school children in Japan so that it would
be appropriate for middle school children in the United States.
The project underscores and summarizes the significance of such
collaborative ventures that enhance the dynamic linkages between
corporate social responsibility programs and academic community
service‐learning experiences. This presentation outlines the mutual goals
that were the framework of the partnership between Hitachi and SFSU.
This project led to the presentation, in April 2009, of a successful UD
workshop given by Hitachi America, Ltd. and SFSU at the Clarendon
Elementary School in San Francisco.

3. Introduction/Overview
2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the landmark passage
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
Designing user‐friendly, learning approaches, within a flexible
learning environment is “a matter of common sense and creativity”

4. Project Overview
What does Universal Design
have to do with early care
and education?
The concept of Universal Design
has been broadened beyond the
creation of physical space and
objects to include:
• design of curriculum
• teaching strategies
• increasing accessibility in
education

5. Project Overview
Objective: to document the collaborative project between Hitachi
Ltd., Tokyo, Japan and the DAI Department
Collaborative Aim: to localize a Hitachi UD Elementary Educational
Workshop that was originally developed for school children in
Japan so that it could be delivered to school children in the U.S.

6. © Hitachi, Ltd. 2009. All rights reserved.
Project Partnership
• Hitachi employee volunteers give UD lessons on universal design.
The SFSU/Hitachi study was based upon the Hitachi Corporate Responsibility
Program, that was created to teach elementary school students in Japan the
principles of Universal Design in 2005
• help children think more freely and creatively in expanding their
understanding about people‐friendly living spaces and communities.

7. © Hitachi, Ltd. 2009. All rights reserved.
Purpose
• Expanding Hitachi’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts with its
Hitachi America offices to incorporate Universal Design educational
outreach into its community service outreach.
• The localized UD workshop materials used to train to serve as
facilitators for UD Elementary Educational workshops in the US.

8. SFSU Project Development
•The study involved the research, planning and implementation of
an interactive slide presentation and UD workshop class materials.
•Graduate Research Assistants:
– Ms. Ikue Enomoto and Mr. Hiroki Takeshita
•University’s Elementary Education program
•Disability Program Resource Center

9. Universal Design
Workshop Objectives
Essential Questions presented to the 5th Grade
Elementary students:
• Why is Universal Design important to us?
• What products can you find in your
everyday life that is easy for everyone to
use? What products are difficult to use?
• How can you design a product and
environment that can make life easy for
everyone to use and understand?

10. Universal Design
Workshop Format
1) Present the PPT1 lesson material – make it as
interactive as possible with the students while
maintaining the integrity of the script. This
presentation introduces the principles of Universal
Design with visual examples.
2) Present the PPT2 workshop presentation – this
provides the instructions for the activity portion of
the workshop.
3) Present the PPT3 Review presentation and
follow‐up material – This is a wrap‐up
with new examples.

11. Universal Design
Workshop Format
1) PPT1 lesson material –
1.1 Intro to Universal Design
1.2 What is “Design”?
1.3 Who is a “Designer”?
1.4 Not Everything is Designed to be
Easy to Use
1.5 What is “Universal Design”?
1.6 Why is Universal Design Important?
1.7 Diverse People in Our Community
1.8 Importance of Universal Design
1.9 In Your Lifetime
1.10 Universal Design Examples

12. Universal Design
Workshop Format
2) PPT2 UD Workshop Presentation
Hands‐on Experience/Group Work
2.1 What’s inside the bag?
2.2 Finding out what was inside the bag ‐
a TV remote control
2.3 Discuss if the remote has UD feature
2.4 Discuss the features of design
2.5 Brainstorming for TV remote design
2.6 Designing a remote and making a
presentation board

13. Universal Design
Workshop Format
3) PPT3 Review presentation and follow‐up
material – This is a wrap‐up with new
examples.

14. Localization Considerations
• Cultural References/ Cultural Preferences
• Context
• Delivery and results
13

15. Universal Design
Let’s think about products and communities
that make life easy for everyone!

16. 15
Comparison

17. 16
Comparison

18. 17
Comparison

19. What is “Universal Design”?
Products and services that are easy to use
for everyone, regardless of age, gender,
cultural background or physical condition.

20. Diverse People in our Community
19
People with disabilities
People Who Wear Glasses
or Contact Lenses
Pregnant WomenLeft‐handed People
People Traveling Abroad Senior Citizens
Children

21. 1. Easy to Use
What is “Universal Design”?
The workshop focused on three primary elements that
Universal Design needs to be:

22. What is “Universal Design”?
2. Easy to Understand

23. 3. Appealing
What is “Universal Design”?

24. We have all kinds of people living in our
community and it is getting more diverse.
Why is Universal Design Important?
Many people experience obstacles
in their daily lives.

25. There will be
Over 50 million
senior citizens
in 2020
Number of senior citizens is increasing!
Importance of Universal Design

26. 15% of US citizens have some disabilities
41.3 Million people
have some level of
disability
Importance of Universal Design

27. Yourself
Today
Grandpa Friends
Seniors
Relatives
Brothers & SistersTravelers
Spouse and Children
Injury
In Your Lifetime

28. Lever handle does not require
much physical effort to use.
Universal Design Example

29. Level platform and wide entrance make access
easy and safe for all people.
Universal Design Example

30. Universal Design Example
Icons and Braille make signs more accessible.

31. Universal Design Example
Big buttons, display and lighting are
more user‐friendly.

32. Workshop Delivery
• Intro to UD
(slideshow 1)
• Intro to group exercise
(slideshow 2)
• Group Exercise
• Presentation of
concepts
• Wrap‐up (slideshow 3)

33. • Introduce
Universal Design
• Have students
identify/think critically
• Demonstrate
what they learned
• Review the concept
Objective

34. Understandings
• establish an awareness for
the perspectives of people
living with disabilities.
• show the importance of
being considerate of other
people
• illustrate the concept that
things should be intuitive to
use and understand for
everyone

35. Workshop Results
• Students were able to
empathize with diversity
• Very inventive with their
suggestions, often
incorporating green features

36. 35
Workshop Results

37. Post‐workshop Analysis
• The Students’ feedback was informative in validating the benefits
the educational service‐learning experience.
• Students generally showed sensitivity to UD principles, as well as
an ability to empathize with different types of users
• The Students’ redesign of a television remote control showed that
they had taken the principles of UD to heart and were able to
creatively implement them into the design of a new remote control.

38. Post‐workshop Analysis
• group participation and interactive project based learning experience
• oriented to a UD human‐centered design approach
• respect for other of different abilities and needs
• listening and understanding diverse perspectives other their own
• employed observation and analysis methods
• idea generation/brainstorming/sketching
• design thinking principles
Learning Outcomes: as a result of the UD presentation and
workshop Students gained:

39. © Hitachi, Ltd. 2009. All rights reserved.
Conclusions
• What distinguished the collaborative Hitachi/SFSU partnership was the
unique balance of academic and professional expertise that benefited
from the diverse background and interdisciplinary abilities of faculty and
students
• By developing new workshop materials and refining them along the way
with expert feedback, we were able to successfully transition, localize and
test an educational module originally developed for Japanese students to
the US population.
• This experience benefited Hitachi in the area of corporate social
responsibility, provided opportunity for SFSU faculty and students to apply
their expertise in design and education through a valuable research and
community service learning experience

40. © Hitachi, Ltd. 2009. All rights reserved.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND CREDITS:
Collaborative Project Contributors:
Hitachi Contributors
Mr. Kazuyuki Miyanaga, Senior Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility
Promotion Department, Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
Ms. Yukie Motomiya, Senior Designer, User Experience Research
Department, Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
Ms. Carol Kalé, Assistant Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility,
Hitachi America, Ltd., Brisbane, CA
San Francisco State University/Clarendon Elementary

41. © Hitachi, Ltd. 2009. All rights reserved.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND CREDITS:
San Francisco State University/Clarendon Elementary
Collaborative Project Contributors:
Ms. Ikue Enomoto, Graduate Research Associate, Design & Industry
Department, SFSU
Mr. Hiroki Takeshita, Graduate Research Associate, Design & Industry
Department, SFSU
Ms. Diane Garfield, 5th Grade Teacher, Clarendon Elementary School, San
Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD)San Francisco,
Clarendon Elementary School, San Francisco Unified School District, SFUSD,
5th Grade Class, Ms. Diane Garfield, Teacher

42. 41
Ricardo Gomes, Professor, Design and Industry Department ricgomes@sfsu.edu
Hsiao‐Yun Chu, Assistant Professor, Design and Industry Department, hychu@sfsu.edu
Thank You!