Topic 7: User-Centered Design (UCD)
Design that pays most attention to the potential customers and their needs and wants, using techniques such as market research, iterative design etc.
7.1
Iterative Process: The process of understanding how a product or design works by working through it and getting things along the way.
Whole User Experience: the usefulness or experience of a product depends on how the creators or developers understand their target audience and their field or work.
Users: the target market
The user is the most important part of the process, for they are the one to lead the product forward, give it money, and offer the most feedback. Designs must accomodate any different types of users.
7.2
Usability: Allows users to experiment with products and help the company with feedback to improve it
Objectives: Usefulness, Effectiveness, Learnability, Attitude
5 main stages of UCD
3) Iterative Design
4) Implementation
2) Concept Examining
1) Research Learning
5) Launch
Activities experimented on to test users and to make them more optimal, comfortable, etc.
Inclusive Design: designing products to be accessible for all users
Enhanced Usability
Pros: Product acceptance, User Experience, Productivity
Cons: User error, Training and support
User-product interfaces should make it clear what the user needs to do with the product.
Intuitive Design
Feedback: products providing information to specific senses (e.g. blind people dimples)
Affordance: Properties of an object that show how it can be used (e.g. a doorknob: simple, effective)