ABSTRACT
It is sometimes said that university students are the most frequently studied group of experimental subjects, mostly because they are available on site at universities where research is carried out. In this study, however, we focus on university students for their own sake, as a user group with particular characteristics, attitudes and behaviours. Design for this group of consumers is of economic significance; in the UK alone there are 2.3 million students attending university campuses, and the UK universities budget approaches £8bn pa. (Universities UK, 2008)
Students attending campus-based courses as opposed to distance-learning study, make use of dedicated facilities and resources designed and supplied by the university. These roughly fall into estates provision buildings, spaces, security, transport etc„ teaching facilities provision lecture theatres, laboratories, classrooms, libraries, equipment etc, and living facilities provision cafes, bars, healthcare, sports, halls of residence etc,. Almost all these facilities and their infrastructure and management are supplied complete by the university; the student simply arrives, and makes use of them. Is the student by implication a passive consumer then? And do the university authorities take due account of the needs of this user group? What happens when student needs are not met – are students capable of taking some individual responsibility for their work and live environment? How well do they do this?
