Studied by 9 people
User-Centered Design and the User, Task & Environment
UCD is a design process paying particular attention to the needs of potential users of a product through involvement of users at all stages of the design process.
Empathetic
When the designer takes the place of the user to see who potentially could use the product and the object could be better suited for the consumer.
User
Person utilising the product, person who is being affected by the product or who is reaping benefits/drawbacks.
Task
The thing that the product is supposed to do, however the user may have several sub uses for the product.
Environment
The place where a product is likely to be used.
Iterative
Act of repeating a process with the aim of approaching a desired goal, target or result. Each repetition of the process is also called an iteration, and the results of one iteration are used as the starting point for the next iteration.
Five Stages of UCD
Research
Business and User problems and requirements are analysed.
The user, task and environment are considered
This can be done with a multi-disciplinary teams of ethnographer, anthropologists and psychologists
NB the above diagram for Research
Concept
Initial ideas are put forward
Concept modelling takes place, including paper models
Allows for tactile and appearance evaluations
Evaluation is fed back into the design cycle
It is quick and cheap to carry out.
A multi-disciplinary team of designers, various engineers and psychologists.
NB the above diagram for Concept
Design
Development of ideas
Scaled models such as prototypes, mock ups etc are made
Monitoring of performance against usability requirements
Allows for more continued evaluation by the user and design team.
Evaluation is fed back into the design cycle
NB the above diagram for Design
Implementation
Various testing and evaluations are carried out with a wide range of end users
Evaluation is fed back into the design cycle
A multi-disciplinary team is used to measure the end-users psychological and physiological experience.
NB the above diagram for Implementation
Launch
The end product is launched
Continuos evaluation is carried out
Monitoring of performance against usability requirements
NB the above diagram for Launch
Inclusive Design
The design of mainstream products and/or services so that they are accessible and usable by as many people as possible without the need for adaptation or specialised design.
Welcoming to everyone
Responsive to people’s needs
Intuitive to use
Flexible
Convenient so they can be used without undue effort or special separation and so that they maximise independence
User Experience
A person’s perceptions and responses that result from the use or anticipated use of a product, system or service, this can modify over time due to changing usage circumstances.
Usability objectives
Usefulness
Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks?
Efficiently – fast and with minimum effort
Effectiveness
Use the design completely and accurately
Prevents errors
User can recover if errors occur.
Learnability
It is the ease at which the user can learn to use a product?
The intuitiveness to use a product, service or system design.
How easy is it for users to accomplish tasks the first time they encounter the design?
Memorable – when the user returns they do not have to re-learn how to use it.
Attitude
Satisfaction or likability when the client uses or interacts with the product, service or system design.
How pleasant is it to use the design?
Enhanced usability
Benefits of enhanced usability include:
improved product acceptance
improved user experience
improved productivity
reduces user error
reduces the need for training and support
Characteristics of good user-product interfaces
Simplicity
Simple design allows for clarity on how the design can be used such as an iPod interface.
Characteristics of good user-product interfaces
Ease of use
IPod interface has limited menu items that are easily and quickly accessed.
Characteristics of good user-product interfaces
Intuitive logic and organization
Novice users of a product should be able to learn all its basic functions within one or two hours.
Characteristics of good user-product interfaces
Low memory burden
The user does not need to have to memorise many features, how to use it, etc.
Do not have to relearn functions. Poor organization of a product imposes a memory burden on users, who have to learn and remember how the various functions work.
This results in them not using the full functionality of a product but focusing on a limited set of features and ignoring those that are difficult to remember.
Thinking about how intuitively the product features can be accessed by users can reduce memory burden and make the product more user-friendly.
Characteristics of good user-product interfaces
Visibilty
Controls should be visible and it should be obvious how they work.
They should convey the correct message, for example, with doors that need to be pushed, the designer must provide signals that indicate where to push.
Characteristics of good user-product interfaces
Feedback
Feedback is the provision of information, for example, an audible tone to a user, as a result of an action.
The tone on a telephone touchpad or the click of a key on a computer keyboard provides feedback to indicate that a key has been pressed.
The “egg timer” icon on a computer screen tells the user that an action is being undertaken.
Characteristics of good user-product interfaces
Affordance
Affordance is the property of an object that indicates how it can be used.
Buttons afford pushing, and knobs afford turning.
On a door, handles afford pulling, whereas push plates afford pushing.
Characteristics of good user-product interfaces
Mapping
Mapping relates to the correspondence between the layout of the controls and their required action.
Characteristics of good user-product interfaces
Constraints
Constraints limit the way that a product can be used.
The design of a three-pin plug or a USB (universal serial bus) device ensures that they are inserted the correct way.
Population stereotypes
When a person is catorgerised into a population based on culture, class, gender, etc. This allows assumptions and associations on how that particular stereotyped population may, react in a situation, dress, use of products, aesthetics, values and so on.
Advantages and disadvantages of using population stereotypes for designers and users.
Advantages:
Allows you to form assumptions and associations about of a group of people. D
Judgements and decisions can be made quickly. D
Possibly predict the behavior or possible use of a product or system. D & U
The user needs and behavior can be identified and thus usability considerations are met. U
Disadvantages:
Assumptions and associations of a particular stereotype may not fit all people of that population. D
Judgements and decisions could be incorrect. D
Not all people who ‘look alike act/think alike’ there fore behavior or way a product was intended to be used may be wrong. U & D
User population
User population is a range of users for a particular product or system.
A product maybe design for a particular population.
Easy grip can opener for people with arthritis
Classification of users
People of user populations are classified into groups based on age, gender and physical condition.
physical conditions may include mobility issues, amputees, blindness, arthritis and so on.
The use of personae
Designers can observe and interview members of a user population in order to create fictional characters known as personae, secondary personae and anti-personae.
Scenarios
Offer a physical and social context for different personae
A scenario is an imagined sequence of events in the daily life of a persona based on assumptions by researchers and designers.
Use case
A set of possible sequences of interactions or event steps between a user and a product to achieve a particular action.
Field Research
Advantages
Gain first hand knowledge
Gain first hand experience
Obtain detailed data of people and processes
It emphasizes the role and relevance of social context.
Disadvantages
Data will be very narrow
emotional taxing as the relationship between interviewer and client has to be established.
The Strategies for UCD:
Method of extremes
A common sampling method where users are selected to represent the extremes of a user population, typically the 2.5th and 97.5th percentile.
Advantages
greatest number of users are accommodated
Disadvantages
maybe sensitive for extreme groups to be involved
The Strategies for UCD:
Observations
Essentially is a user trial where the intended client uses the product and the expert observes.
This can be in the field (natural environment) or in a lab (controlled environment)
Advantages
Help to unveil usability issues
Tested under conditions of use
Disadvantages
Data collected maybe difficult to analyse
The Strategies for UCD:
Interview and Focus groups
A collection of responses from users, a trail of observation of users interacting with the product
Advantages
It is dynamic
Face to Face
Body language and gestures can be observed
Easily measure reactions
Clarifying questions can be asked
Disadvantages
Expensive as interviewees are often compensated
Participants may not wish to share sensitive issues
Small sample size may not be truly representative of the whole
Moderator bias
The Strategies for UCD:
Questionnaires
A series of questions to solicit information
Advantages
Cheap
Easy to administer
large numbers of questionnaires can be administered
sent easily to a wide local, national, global regions
Disadvantages
Static
poor number of responses
maybe only interested people fill out the survey thus perhaps a bias
Affinity diagramming
A graphical tool that identifies a general theme to collect facts, opinions and ideas.
They express data and infromation in a common format by creating clusters and groups of common information.
Advantages
Simple
Cost effective
Easy to get data from a group
builds teamwork
Disadvantages
time-consuming
can get quite large
Participatory design
An approach to design attempting to actively involve all stakeholders (e.g. employees, partners, customers, citizens, end users) in the design process to help ensure the result meets their needs and is usable.
Usability testing
Carried out in a usability laboratory*. Typically, users are seated with an instructor who observes them performing a particular task with the product.*
Attitude
The perceptions, feelings and opinions about a product by a user.
Socio-pleasure
Physio-pleasure
Psycho-pleasure
Ideo-pleasure
Socio-pleasure
Is derived from social interaction.
Products and services can facilitate social interaction in a number of ways.
Physio-pleasure
Is derived from the feel of a product during use
Psycho-pleasure
Is derived from the cognitive demands of using a product or service and the emotional reactions engendered through the experience of using it.
The outcome may also be more emotionally satisfying and less stressful.
Ideo-pleasure
Is derived from products that are aesthetically pleasing by appealing to the consumer’s values.
Values could be philosophical or religious or may relate to some particular issue such as the environment or a political movement.
Designing for emotion can increase:
User engagement
Product or brand loyalty
Satisfaction with a product by incorporating emotion and personality
Visceral design
Design that speaks to people’s nature in terms of how they expect products and systems to function and how they expect to interact with them.
Reflective Design
Design that evokes personal memory focussing on the message, culture and the meaning of a product or its use.
Behavioural design
Focussed on use and understanding, this considers how people will use a product, focussing on functionality.
ACT Model
Attract/Converse/Transact
The attract part of the model is aesthetics oriented.
The converse part of the model is interaction oriented.
The transact part of the model is function oriented.
When all three elements are addressed, products can become desirable, usable and useful.
Note 
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