UDIP to lay founding principles in design education

Published 4th July 2011

AHMEDABAD: To promote design education in India, a group of authors has come out with Universal Design India Principles (UDIP) which will also enable "inclusive social growth".

" UDIP are rooted in the Indian culture, they reflect the Indian condition. When applied, it will foster social inclusion in India and bring a paradigm shift in design education and practise," professor Abir Mullick told PTI.

Mullick, a Fulbright Nehru scholar-in-residence at the National Institute of Design (NID) here led the team of nine authors, including those from IIT-Guwahati, IIT-Kharagpur and School of Planning and Architecture, who have co-authored the five sets of principles based on usability, equability, culture, economy and aesthetics.

"Design is an evolving field in India and it's an appropriate time to have a set of standards which can expand the horizon of design for inclusive growth," Mullick said.

The principles are now the property of NID. The institute shall be propagating them through education and other channels for responsible designs focused on inclusive growth.

"With these set of principles in hand we shall now be promoting responsible design activities at NID through the Tata Trust sponsored Universal Design chair here," NID director Pradyumna Vyas told PTI.

"A post graduate programme in universal design is slated to be launched in 2012 at NID Bangalore, an extension of NID Ahmedabad," Vyas said.

Universal design in India is projected to create equal opportunity environment and foster independence for all users, he said.

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