Michael Gaigg: Über UI/UX Design

Benefits & Principles of User-Centered Design

Posted by Michael Gaigg

We, the people, have been around for quite some years now. Computers, software, applications and the web not so much. Therefore it is clear that applications have to adjust to the people and not the other way round.

Many design principles have developed throughout the decades, but the main difference of user-centered design to others is that

UCD tries to optimize the user interface around how people can, want, or need to work, rather than forcing the users to change how they work to accommodate the system or function.

Purpose of UCD

UCD answers questions about users and their tasks and goals, then use the findings to make decisions about development and design.

UCD seeks to answer the following questions:

• Who are the users of the application?
• What are the users’ main tasks and goals?
• What are the users’ experience levels with the application?
• What functions do the users need from the application?
• What information might the users need, and in what form do they need it?
• How do users think the application should work?

Benefits & Return of Investment

• Increased usability
  • Higher degree of customer satisfaction
  • Continued business
  • Higher revenues
• Project management optimization
  • Focus on important functionality early
  • Unforeseen user requirements
• Reduced costs
  • Training costs
  • Help-Desk calls and service costs

UCD Principles

• Focus on users’ needs, tasks and goals
• Spend time on initial research and requirements
  • Identify your target audience and observe them (accomplishing their tasks)
  • Let users define product requirements
• Emphasis on iterative design process
• Evaluate system on real target users

Summary

Nobody could state it simpler than Susan Dray: "If the user can’t use it, it doesn’t work".