An Appraisal of Universal Design Compliance of Museum Buildings in Southwest Nigeria

In recent years, museums in Nigeria have struggled to maintain economic viability and social relevance due to low patronage by visitors. Consequently, there is a growing need to explore how to achieve visitor-centered approach in the design, planning, and construction of museum buildings and facilities in this country. In the light of this, this study examined the extent to which the design, planning, and construction of museum buildings and facilities in Nigeria comply with the principles of universal design and promote users’ satisfaction. A case study research design was adopted in appraising three museums in southwest Nigeria, based on three universal design principles of approachability, accessibility, and usability. The findings reveal that the three museums complied reasonably well when it comes to approachability but performed below average in accessibility and usability parameters. As a result, the existing museums and their facilities and services are not very accessible, and usable by all categories of persons in the society. This implies that for museums buildings and facilities in this country to effectively serve all segments of the society and achieve enduser satisfaction, there is a need for the adoption of universal design principles, particularly as they relate to accessibility and usability requirements while retrofitting the existing ones