Introduction to User-Centered Design

10 important questions on Introduction to User-Centered Design

From what perspective can you not design for users?

a perspective that emphasizes what the system has to offer and expect the user to adapt to the product. You should design the system to adapt the user’s psychological, situational, emotional and intellectual needs.

What is Norman's (1986) approach to help designers and users, one that most effectively bridges the gap between evaluation and execution, through UCD?

“user-centered design emphasizes that the purpose of the system is to serve the user, not to use a specific technology, not to be an elegant piece of programming. The needs of the interface should dominate the design of the rest of the system.”

Do UCD’s just like TCD’s, have to hold to deadlines, budgets and other constraints?

They have the same requirements found in the waterfall approach. The waterfall questions matter to them as well. However, there are also other questions that matter to UCD’s: • How would users use this product?
• How do they think about it or similar products?
• How do they interact with this product?
• Where do they interact with it and under what circumstances?
  • Higher grades + faster learning
  • Never study anything twice
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Discover Study Smart

UCD designers consult with representative users during the process (e.g. prototype testing, designers making revisions to the design each time.) Do they do this even after the product is released?

Even after the product is released, UCD’s consult the users to make improvements and spin off new iterations or products.

Important: UCD does not mean that users are in control of the design process. You can’t make something that is unique to every individual. These elements are important to know for UCD:

• How the user thinks and interacts with a product
• What the user requires
• What others have done before, both bad and good, to engage users
• What the company wants to accomplish with the product it’s making for

Do UCD values user engagement through the whole design process?

UCD values user engagement through the whole design process. As it takes a variety of design methods and techniques  that are incorporated into an approach that allows product designers to think about users’ needs and visualize how they will use a product from the earlier stages. Even before sketching it out on papers.

What is strong participation?

Users are present at the beginning of the design process and provide constant feedback, prototype-testing and contributing to the designs.

What is weak participation?

Product representative users may be recruited to test out prototypes as they are finished, providing more controlled feedback for certain times in the process.

Is the strong participation better than the weak participation?

not one approach is better or worse than another – as long as the participation fulfills project goals and the users involvement in the design process.

There is a difference between usability testing and UCD. Usability testing is just one of the many methods that can be used for UCD. Usability testing just allows designers to focus the design process on users. For effective UCD, this needs to be applied:

• Information architecture
• Ergonomics
• Market acceptance
• User preference
• Functionality/utility
• Coding
• Aesthetics

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

  • A unique study and practice tool
  • Never study anything twice again
  • Get the grades you hope for
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Remember faster, study better. Scientifically proven.
Trustpilot Logo