Problematic Activities Surveys Overview

We all know from first hand experience how easily the built environment can make performing even the simplest activities difficult. Whether it is making our way through the entrances of public restrooms, using street crossings at intersections or just putting away groceries in our kitchens, good design can ensure that the built environment makes performing these activities easier for all of us.

The IDEA Center at the State University of New York’s School of Architecture & Planning in Buffalo is conducting a study of built environments' influences on activity performance. This study employs surveys to examine three built environments' influences on activity performance:

•   Public Buildings (office buildings, retail stores and government buildings)
•   Public Streets (sidewalks, street furniture, intersections and transit stops)
•   Residential Environments (houses, apartments, etc.)

This initial round of surveys identify activities that are a problem for people in these three environments. Follow-up surveys then assess how well specific design features can solve these problems.

To participate in the Problematic Activities Surveys, you must provide Informed Consent. Next you will be asked to provide some general information about yourself that will help us analyze the responses we get from your surveys. Finally you will be given opportunities to evaluate activities in public buildings, on public streets and in residential environments. After clicking PROVIDE INFORMED CONSENT below, you will be given additional information about the research study and asked if you agree to participate in the study as described.

•   PROVIDE INFORMED CONSENT

Surveys

Now that you have provided Informed Consent and told us some general information about yourself, we would like you to tell us how problematic you find certain activities in each of the three environments listed below. Please bookmark this page if you do not complete all three surveys, so you can come back at your leisure to finish the rest.

•   SURVEY ON PROBLEMATIC ACTIVITIES IN PUBLIC BUILDINGS
•   SURVEY ON PROBLEMATIC ACTIVITIES IN PUBLIC STREETS
•   SURVEY ON PROBLEMATIC ACTIVITIES IN RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTS

Sponsor

This study is being conducted by the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA) through its Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Universal Design and the Built Environment (RERC-UD) with funding provided by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).