design tech midterm

Human Centered Design

an approach to system design that focuses on users' needs, requirements, and social context

Philosophy of HCD

users first, context matters, Iterative Process, Inclusive thinking

Users first

design decisions are based on user needs not assumptions

context matters

always consider the 3 Ws: where, when, and why people use your design

Iterative Process

design, test, learn, repeat

inclusive thinking

design for diverse users and use cases

what is the goal of HCD

create products and systems that are useful, usable, and meaningful to the intended users

What is the HCD Approach

you and your design adapt to the users. solutions must be adaptable and flexible to your users' needs and uses cases. design decisions should be heavily drive by user research.

What are the key principles of HCD?

Involvement of users throughout the process, Understand the whole context, Solve the right problem

Involvement of users

users should be included from identifying what the problem is to refining your solution

Solving the Right Problem

Focus on the underlying needs, not the surface level requests

What are the user benefits of HCD?

improved usability, better experience, increased accessibility, reduced errors fewer mistakes and frustrations

What are the benefits of HCD for organizations?

higher adoption rates, reduced support costs, competitive advantage, innovation opportunities

What is the HCD Process?

The HCD Process is an iterative cycle. Observation - Idea Generation - Prototyping - Testing - Repeat

Why the iterative process?

first ideas are never the best, users can't always explain what they need, real-world uses reveal unexpected issues, continuous improvement leads to better solutions

What does the Spiral Method do?

each cycle gets you closer to the optimal solution, allows for progressive refinement, risks are reduced through early testing, faster time to market with validated solutions

What is User Feedback?

information provided by users about their experience with a product or system

what is user feedback made of?

user opinions, complaints, and suggestions, behavioral data from user interactions, performance metrics in completion of tasks

what is the key principle of user feedback?

A continuous loop of input from users to designers.

what is the goal of user feedback?

improving the product's usability, functionality and user satisfaction

What does User Feedback achieve?

pain points and areas for improvement are identified, design assumptions are validated or challenged, prioritization of features and updates are guided, user engagement and sense of ownership is enhanced, product development is aligned with user needs and expectations, design decisions driven by data is supported

What are the methods for collecting user feedback?

surveys and questionaries, user interviews and focus groups, usability testing sessions, analytics and user behavior tracking, social media and customer support channels

What is the process of integrating feedback?

collect and analyze feedback, prioritize issues and opportunities, develop solutions and prototypes, test with users, implement changes, monitor impact and collect new feedback

What are the human core elements of HUCD

understand, define, ideate, prototype, test, iterate

What is the purpose of observation?

understanding users in their natural context, uncovering unspoken needs and behaviors, challenging assumptions and preconceptions, and gathering rich, qualitative data

What should you observe?

Actions: what people actually do vs what they say they do, Environment: Physical and social context, Tools: What the users are currently using, Pain Points: Where users are struggling or create workarounds, Emotions: How users feel during tasks

What is the purpose of idea generation?

generating a wide range of possible solutions, encouraging creative and innovative thinking, building on diverse perspectives, and avoiding settling for the first idea

What are the best practices for idea generation?

Quantity over Quality, Build on others' ideas, No criticism during brainstorming, Visual thinking like sketching, Diverse Perspectives by including different POVs

What is the purpose of making a prototype?

Making ideas tangible for testing and feedback, Exploring multiple concepts quickly, Identifying problems early when they're cheap to fix, Communicating ideas clearly to stakeholders

What is the purpose of testing?

Validating or challenge design assumptions, Gathering user feedback on concepts, Identifying usability issues, Ensuring solutions meet real needs

Testing Principles

Test Early and Often, Use Realistic Scenarios, Observe Behavior, not just opinions, Be Open to Unexpected Insights, Iterate Based on Learning

Double Diamond Model

Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver

What is the first key phase of the double diamond model?

First diamond is finding the right problem. diverge to explore the problem space. converge to define the core problem.

What is the second key phase of the double diamond model?

Second diamond is finding the right solution. diverge to generate many solutions. converge to refine and implement solution

What is the focus of the problem space and solution space?

problem space: understanding before building, solution space: creating the right solution

What is the key insight of the DD model?

spend enough time in the problem space before jumping to solutions

What is the complete HCD process?

flexible - iterative - collaborative - evidence based

Good observation practices

be systematic by using structured frameworks, look for patterns, document every detail, separate observation from interpretation where facts are first, analysis is second

what are common pitfalls in observation?

observer bias where observer presence changes tester behavior, confirmation bias, surface behaviors, snapshot fallacy - single observations over patterns over time

improved approaches to idea generation

silent start where individual inputs before group discussion, build on others - yes and, diverse perspectives by including different backgrounds and roles, quantity goals where generating volume before evaluating quality

Key principle of prototypes

build the minimum needed to test your assumptions

best practices for prototyping

Start Rough, Get Refined, Embrace imperfection: Perfect prototypes discourage feedback, Focus on key questions: What are you trying to learn?, Involve stakeholders: Get input during creation, not just after, Document decisions: Why did you choose this approach?

Different types of test methods

Task-based usability testing: Can users accomplish goals?, A/B testing: Which version performs better?, Concept validation: Is this solving the right problem?, Accessibility testing: Does this work for all users?

What to measure during testing?

Behavioral data: What do users actually do?, Performance data: How efficiently do they do it?, Emotional data: How do they feel about the experience?, Preference data: What do they say they want?

How to turn data into decisions?

Prioritize by impact: What problems affect the most users?, Consider effort required: What's feasible to change?, Look for patterns: Individual feedback vs. systematic issues, Plan next iteration: What will you test next?

why do we need models?

act as translation tools that bridge the communication gap between designers, developers, stakeholders, and users by simplifying complex ideas, creating a shared understanding, and supporting collaboration

Systematic observation…

Systematic observation reveals problems intuition misses

Structured ideation…

Structured ideation produces more creative solutions

Iterative prototyping…

Iterative prototyping improves ideas efficiently

Evidence-based testing…

Evidence-based testing guides better decisions

Simple interfaces…

Simple interfaces often require complex underlying systems

Models and standards…

Models and standards enable collaboration at scale

Communication tools…

Communication tools are essential for team coordination

Human-centered principles…

Human-centered principles apply even in technical contexts

Affordances

the perceived actions possible in an environment or with an object. not what the object can do but what users perceive they can do. based on visual cues, past experiences, and context

what are examples of affordances

a door handle - shape suggests pulling, button - raised surface suggests pressing, knob - circular shape suggests rotating

Digital Affordances

Screen-Based Interactions, Buttons: Raised appearance suggests clicking, Links: Blue underlined text suggests clicking, Text Fields: White rectangles suggest typing, Sliders: Track with handle suggests dragging, Scroll Bars: Suggest content extends beyond view

Features

what can object can do or lets a user do. specific capabilities built into the product. defined by designers and developers. technical specifications.

Examples of features

a search function on an app, an elevator playing music while riding it, a like button to like a post, a bluetooth icon to turn on/off bluetooth connection

What are signifiers?

perceivable indicators that communicate how to use something

What is the purpose of signifiers?

To make affordances more obvious and understandable

What is the key principle of signifiers?

Good signifiers reduce cognitive load and increase usability

types of signifiers

labels, symbols, color, shapes, links, buttons or any perceivable indicator of functionality

examples of signifiers in the physical world

push and pull signs on doors, traffic lights indicating stop and go, handle shapes indicating how to grip

examples of signifiers in the digital world

button styling - shadows, borders, colors, icons - trash can for deleting, magnifying glass for searching, color conventions - red for danger, green for go

What is Mapping?

The relationship between the elements of two sets of things

user's mental model

simplified understanding of how something works based on previous experiences and visual cues. may not match with reality but guides user behavior and can change through experience

designer's conceptual model

intended understanding of system structure based on technical architecture and design goals communicated through interface and interactions that should align with user's mental model

symbolic systems

structured representations that use symbols, notations, or diagrams to model complex real-world systems, processes, or concepts in a simplified and standardized, manner

key characteristics of symbolic systems

Use abstract symbols to represent concrete elements, Employ defined rules for symbol manipulation and interpretation, Enable communication of complex ideas in a standardized format, Support analysis, design, and problem-solving in various domains

example of symbolic systems

customer journey maps and task flow diagrams

affordances…

Affordances are about perception, not just capability

signifiers…

Signifiers make affordances discoverable

good mapping…

Good mapping reduces cognitive load

mental models

Mental models drive user behavior

sometimes…

Sometimes difficult design is appropriate

Feedback…

closes the interaction loop

What does UML stand for?

Unified Modeling Language

UML is…

the solution to design communication

What are the three pillars of design communication?

DESIGN MODELS - Simplified representations of your design vision, DESIGN VIEWS - Different perspectives on your design model, UML DIAGRAMS - Visual representations of your design views

what are the two types of UML diagrams?

Structural diagrams and dynamic diagrams

Structural diagrams

Class, component, and deployment

Dynamic diagrams

Use case, state, activity, and sequence

What is a design model?

simplified representation that captures essential design decision

examples of design model

map - design model of navigation with roads/landmarks, recipe - design model of cooking process with key steps/ingredients, floor plan - design model of space with layout/flow

what is a design view?

a perspective that emphasizes certain design aspects

examples of design views

customer experience design - menu, seating, service flow, kitchen workflow design - equipment layout, ingredient organization

what do multiple design views matter?

Each stakeholder cares about different design aspects, Good design must work from all relevant perspectives, Design problems often appear in one view but not others, Complete design requires considering all views,

what are the different types of design views

Structural Design Views: What design components exist and how they're organized, Behavioral Design Views: What design processes happen and when, User Experience Design Views: Who uses the system and what value they get, Implementation Design Views: How the design gets built and deployed

what is a UML diagram

a visual way to communicate a design view

what are the different common design concepts in UML diagrams?

Design Components: Rectangles, ovals, stick figures, Design Relationships: Lines, arrows, diamonds, Design Groupings: Boxes, packages, boundaries, Design Behaviors: Arrows with time, decision points

what question does a class diagram cover?

What design components exist in my system?

what question does a use case diagram cover?

What value can users get from my design?

what question does a activity diagram cover?

How does this design process work?

what question does a sequence diagram cover?

How do design components interact?

what question does a component diagram cover?

What are the major design modules?

what question does a deployment diagram cover?

How is my design physically implemented?

what question does a state diagram cover?

How does this component behave in different situations?

what type of UML diagram should you use in this case? "I need to show my team the design of different user types and what value they get from our app"

use case

what type of UML diagram should you use in this case? "The developers need to understand the design relationships between different elements"

class