DOC-20241128-WA0014.

Human Computer interaction
User centered design

User-centered design is a discipline that focuses not on the user’s needs, but on
the user’s wants, environment, likes, tastes, etc. Task-centered design is the
sibling term who worries about the task the user is going to do, which prioritizes
the physical and mental work the user is going to put on and thinks one or ten
steps ahead to avoid useless tasks, and make hard tasks easy, for the user to have
an easy and positive experience.
In UCD, design teams involve users throughout the design process via a variety of
research and design techniques, to create highly usable and accessible products
for them.
Example: When a product team develops digital products, it takes into account
the user’s requirements, objectives, and feedback. Satisfying users’ needs and
wants becomes a priority, and every design decision is evaluated in the context of
whether it delivers value to the users. The user-centered design gives you a way
of adding an emotional impact to your products.
The Essential Elements of User-Centered Design:
 Visibility: Users should be able to see from the beginning what they can do
with the product, what is it about, and how they can use it.
 Accessibility: Users should be able to find information easily and quickly.

They should be offered various ways to find information for example calls
action buttons, search options, menu, etc.
 Legibility: Text should be easy to read. As simple as that.
 Language: Short sentences are preferred here. The easier the phrase and
the words, the better.
Focus areas of UCD:

Identify the primary users of the product.
Why they will use the product?

What are their requirements?
Under what environment they will use it?
Collect information about their users’ needs.
Phases of UCD:
The following are the general phases of the UCD process:
 Specify the context of use: Identify the people who will use the product,
what they will use
it for, and under what conditions they will use it.
 Specify requirements: Identify any business requirements or user goals

that must be met for
the product to be successful.
 Create design solutions: This part of the process may be done in stages,
building from a rough concept to a complete design.
 Evaluate designs: Evaluation – ideally through usability testing with actual

users – is as integral as quality testing is to good software development.
User-Centered Design Process

User-centered design is among the best practices in product and software
development in helping companies design products that not only work well but
also offer a better user experience.
Importance of User-Centered Design Process
Further points include why the User-Centered Design process is so important:
 Improved User Satisfaction: A clearly visible reason for using UCD is to

create products people love. Engaging users directly through the design and
addressing their needs enhances the chances of delivering a product people
expect.
 Reduced Development Costs: UCD can be an extremely cost-effective

approach when measured over a period of time. It is important to identify
usability issues during the design stage to prevent expensive redesigns and
lower development and maintenance expenses.
 Market Success: Companies can increase their chances of success with the
products developed by UCD. A product that strikes a chord with users and
addresses their key requirements is superior and more likely to spread.
 Enhanced Accessibility: The use of a user-centered approach helps ensure

availability of products for use by more people than those without
disabilities. This allows an inclusiveness that leads to more users, and
showcases corporate duty and morality.
Elements of User-Centered Design
 User Research: This is the core of UCD. The user research entails methods
such as surveys, questionnaires, in-depth interviews, usability testing,
ethnographic observation, focus groups as well as creating personas to
learn on the user’s needs, behaviors, and motivation.
 Prototyping and Testing: Prototypes and mock-up are created by designers

to check and validate their design ideas on real target customers. In this
way, the design gets refined as time passes.
 Usability Testing: Usability testing is a process where one observes users

while interacting with the product to identify pain points, bottlenecks, and
opportunities for improvement.
 Iterative Design: UCD is an iterative process. They develop modifications

utilizing comments as well as the test outcomes. The product is cycled up
again and this cycle is continued until the product reaches its optimum
level.
 User-Centric Metrics: User-centric performance measures include user

satisfaction, task success rates, as well as retention levels which help to
measure the effectiveness of UCD efforts in measuring success.
User-Centered Design Process
1. Research
 Recognize targeted users and learn their demands.
 Develop user personas to represent the various user types.
 Collect data through surveys, interviews, and observation.
2. Design
 Use research findings in developing prototypes or wireframes.
 Make sure it suits the client’s tastes and preferences, as well as addressing
their needs.
3. Testing
 Test usability using real users.
 Watch how consumers use the product.

 To collect feedback on how to improve.
4. Refinement
 Analyze test results and feedback.
 To resolve issues make a process of design change iteratively.
 Ask users about the design for a final time.
5. Launch
 Release the product when its design satisfactorily matches users’

expectations.
 Also, collect user feedback after the launch and incorporate them into
further enhancements.
Conclusion
User Centered Design is not a simple checklist, it’s a philosophy, a point of view
that recognizes importance of understanding who they are trying to help and
empathy for them, it is an improvement as a continuous practice. It is quite
demanding but has great payouts. People do not just like products that deliver
exactly what they expect, instead; those who do so attract brand followers,
repeat buyers, and promoters.

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Human Computer interaction

User centered design

The Essential Elements of User-Centered Design:

 Accessibility: Users should be able to find information easily and quickly.

 Legibility: Text should be easy to read. As simple as that.

Focus areas of UCD:

Why they will use the product?

What are their requirements?

Under what environment they will use it?

Collect information about their users’ needs.

The following are the general phases of the UCD process:

 Specify requirements: Identify any business requirements or user goals

 Evaluate designs: Evaluation – ideally through usability testing with actual

User-Centered Design Process

Importance of User-Centered Design Process

Further points include why the User-Centered Design process is so important:

 Improved User Satisfaction: A clearly visible reason for using UCD is to

 Reduced Development Costs: UCD can be an extremely cost-effective

 Enhanced Accessibility: The use of a user-centered approach helps ensure

Elements of User-Centered Design

 Prototyping and Testing: Prototypes and mock-up are created by designers

 Usability Testing: Usability testing is a process where one observes users

 Iterative Design: UCD is an iterative process. They develop modifications

 User-Centric Metrics: User-centric performance measures include user

User-Centered Design Process

 Recognize targeted users and learn their demands.

 Develop user personas to represent the various user types.

 Collect data through surveys, interviews, and observation.

 Use research findings in developing prototypes or wireframes.

 Test usability using real users.

 Watch how consumers use the product.

 To collect feedback on how to improve.

 Analyze test results and feedback.

 To resolve issues make a process of design change iteratively.

 Ask users about the design for a final time.

 Release the product when its design satisfactorily matches users’

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