In search of Universal Design. But does it exist?

Few days back I met my old friend as usual we started a discussion. It was quite an interesting topic – Localization of design. The debate started on a point saying – can there be a single design which works for all regions/countries/cultures?

The inner feeling say ‘obviously no’ but then look around us, ipods, cell phone or a TV. Why is it that ipod has been successful in most cultures? Why do cell phones have same interactions regardless of the culture/region? There is something about these which goes beyond the boundaries of cultural understanding? Go to US, UK, Korea, India or any other place you would find people using ipods or cellphone pretty much the same way.

I guess there are basically two reasons –

New learning (?)
Gadgets or technology needs to be ‘learnt’. Thus regardless of cultural understanding everyone has to learn it the pretty much the same way. This goes beyond cultural understanding – Can we say, “gadgets/technology unify the human race?” It’s premature to say but in some ways it may binds us all together with a common ‘language - a behavioral language of technology’. When I go to another culture I may be alien but I would still know how to use a iphone or a TV or say Yahoo! page. Language and to a less extent icons could be cultural; icons could still be learnt quickly. Apart from that interactions and behaviors are universal, I feel. So this ‘new learning’ may allow us to transcend the cultural barrier.

Basic Human Psychology (?)
Another thing might be an inner common human psychology which is beyond the cultural understanding. Do we all like Apple feel? Why do we? Is it because it in some ways uses elements that we as human beings like – say wet table feel, continuity in interactions, smooth edges etc.? Are there elements that we see all around us in offline world that we like? I guess if we could translate elements that we like in offline world into products we design it ‘may’ create similar effects in us as humans -going beyond cultures.

Sorry for a badly written post.