The Relation of design tools to Universal Design Theory

Are researchers in Universal Design (UD) using UD theory? There is a link between theory and the appropriate use and selection of tools in design research. On that basis, 256 conference papers from the Cambridge Workshop of Universal Access and Assistive Technology (2002 to 2020) are reviewed for instances of tool use and links to Universal Design and general design theoretical content. From this it is shown that the instance of explicit tool use can be found in a minority of articles. Those that do have articulated links between the tool of inquiry and theory are classed into four groups, a minority of which are based on UD theory. A recommendation is made for more explicit explanation of the basis of tool use in research design in order to improve the transparency and comprehensibility of the research design.