A professional UI agency sees, as one of its central goals, to meet the business requirements of clients and to make users happy. Every year a new methodology of UX/UI software design appears that claims to have found the answer on how to fulfill these tricky requirements. However, there is one that stands out – a User-Centered Design approach. What is so special about it? Let’s find out.
What is User-Centered Design?
User-centered design is an approach to product development and design that centers users’ needs and concentrates on delivering the best user experience possible.
When developing new (digital) offers, many companies forget who they make them for. Instead of consulting users from the start and creating user-oriented UX/UI, companies focus on innovative technical capabilities or their business objectives and goals. The result lacks intuitiveness and does not offer the functionality that users would expect.
User-Centered Design makes the demands of business and user meet. The focus is not on the interests and skills of the company, but on the needs and desires of the clients. An analysis of users is, therefore, always carried out before actual development, and general feedback is collected during web development. The product is thus created in close communication with future customers.
Principles of User-Centered Design
Six fundamental principles of user-centered design define how one should develop user-oriented UX/UI. This approach will be a trend in 2020.
First of all, this type of design means that the UX/UI requires the designer to do research and find out everything possible about the users of the future product: what are their tastes, daily routines, and environment. It might seem over the top. But, in reality technologies are tightly connected with everyday experiences, and your product must fit in nicely.
There is a unique document that establishes the principles of User-Centered design – ISO 13407 standard.
Here are the four main principles:
- Specify the context of the use
- Specify the requirements
- Create design solutions
- Evaluate the design
Only when the design solutions meet all these essentials can the product be released.
There is an obvious importance given to two analysis phases before the actual creation of design solutions. This is necessary in order to identify which people will use the product, what they will do with it, and under what conditions they will use it.
These requirements focus on tasks users will complete and on business objectives. Only at this point can the product begin to be conceived and designed, in the form of a scheme, prototype, all the way up to a fully complete model.
But the most critical step is the last one – the verification of the product with real users through usability tests, including interviews, questionnaires, inspection analyzes and even according to guidelines.
The Instruments
In the different phases of the project cycle, various activities are carried out with multiple tools.
In the analysis phase (1 and 2), the following activities are typically performed:
- Meetings with stakeholders to understand constraints and expectations
- Analysis of existing products
- Conducting field observations
- Conducting interviews with potential users
- Conducting workshops with prospective users
- Questionnaires
- Creation of user profiles
- Creation of task lists
- Creation of scenarios
- Defining multidisciplinary teams
It is necessary to create agile ways to communicate between different staff members from the beginning. In the UCD design process, there should never be members of the working group making decisions without the input of others.
In the phase in which we work on the creation of design solutions, the following tools are used:
- Brainstorming, free meetings and discussions
- Creation of models and navigation schemes
- Creation of sketches and screens, including paper and pencil sketches
- Conducting analysis and cognitive simulations on the sketches
- Production of low or high fidelity prototypes
- It should be noted that alongside more proper design activities (which include the design of the interface with various tools), assessments and analyzes are already being conducted based on the documents prepared in the first phase (scenarios, tasks)
The evaluation takes place before and during the actual implementation of the system, through:
- Tests with users
- Questionnaires
- Heuristic and inspection analyzes
- Cognitive simulations.
It should be remembered that all products are made according to some type of process. It can be random or very formal. UCD activities can be freely included in both scenarios.
User-Centered Design vs. Human-Centered Design
When you inquire about user-centered design, sooner or later, you come across the term Human-Centered Design. Is there any difference between these two terms?
Some experts use them as synonyms. However, the majority believes that there is a difference in meaning: the term “user” refers to a particular target group, while “human” is understood in a more general sense. A human-centered design would, therefore, involve not only users but also other people who interact indirectly with the new product.
It is a good idea to involve users throughout the entire development process: this is one of the main differences with other approaches. Users are not only invited to evaluate a finished product, but they access the product throughout its development.
User-centered design means that the process is iterative. The development takes place in phases, and user feedback is collected after each step.
A product must elicit positive emotions, offer real solutions, and encourage repeated use.
A multifaceted and skilled team is needed to work on successful projects. For example, user-centered design requires close collaboration between different departments: developers, business analysts, designers. There is no place for a compartmentalized approach in product development. Only when a range of specialists come together to share their perspectives can a user-centered approach become a reality.
Why Is UCD Rare?
If UCD has so many benefits and is so easy to apply, why isn’t it a more popular approach?
- UCD is both relatively new and therefore a poorly taught philosophy. It is not the traditional way to manage software and site creation processes.
- It is often seen as too expensive of an investment. However, research shows that UCD processes benefit from a rapid focus on the precise requirements and solutions, avoid lengthening of times linked to impositions or unproductive discussions, and leads to a satisfactory product in less time overall.
- Inserting UCD into the design process requires companies to become more flexible by changing both mentality and procedures. This is quite difficult in larger companies that need to standardize the means to produce standard quality software and sites, whatever the training and overall competence of employees.
However, adopting UCD also helps large companies to evolve and question their rigidity.
Benefits of User-Centered Design
The constant orientation towards User-Centered Design brings benefits to the user and also ultimately pays off for businesses.
- Customer satisfaction: the more your users are satisfied, the more likely they are to continue using your product and recommend it to their friends. Nowadays, every market niche is oversaturated with products, so increasing customer satisfaction is the only way to increase customer loyalty.
- Product safety: The privacy and security of data are significant issues nowadays. Continually testing your product and making it better with the help of test groups will allow you to notice that something can go wrong at an early stage.
- Quality: Knowing the needs of users and having their image in your mind will allow you to better concentrate on client satisfaction. You know that you are trying to make these people’s lives better with your product, which motivates you to do higher quality work.
- Sustainability: user-centered design is more sustainable. Making users happy will always be trendy – so you always keep looking for new ways to do that.
- Economic efficiency: by always including users in the development, you make sure that your target audience falls in love with what you do. Such an approach always pays off.
The Future of User-Centered Design
User-centered design is a significant trend in the world of UX/UI. It makes sense, since putting the user above all you can create a project that will be desired by a wider audience. Its importance will continue to grow in the future in light of the unstable, uncertain, and complex market situation across various sectors. Adopt this approach now to have a competitive market advantage!