CS2003 - Week 18 - User-Centered Design

UCD

A design philosophy prioritising user needs, usability and understanding

UCD key principles

User Involvement: Engage real users (not just stakeholders) Iterative Process: Design > Test > Refine > Repeat Multidisciplinary: Combines HCI, psychology, design

Why UCD?

70-80% product failures stem from ignoring user needs prevents costly redesigns ensures effective, efficient, satisfying products

Issues with non-UCD approaches

Waterfall: rigid, no user input until late Agile: focuses on functionality over usability

4 UCD Methodologies

Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) Usability Engineering Lifecycle Star Lifecycle Participatory Design (PD)

Soft Systems Methodology (SSM)

Used for complex system (7-steps) Views systems as holistic and interpretive Used for complex, fuzzy problems No guidance on implementation/evaluation

SSM example

A hospital having poor communication between doctors, nurses and admin causing delays with patients.

SSM 7 steps

Identify problem situation Express problem situation Establish root definitions of relevant systems Build conceptual models Compare models with reality Define feasible and desirable changes Take action to improve situation

Participatory Design

Users co-design solutions (e.g. workshops, prototyping)

Pros and Cons of PD

Pros: High user ownership, meets real needs Cons: Time-consuming, hard to manage stakeholder conflicts

PD example

Creating an app for elderly users or disabled users.

Star Lifecycle

Evaluation-centred, flexible ordering (opposite of waterfall)

Pros and Cons of Star Lifecycle

Pros: Adapts to context, ideal for iterative design Cons: Hard to track progress

Star Lifecycle example

Continuously changing the design of an app based on feedback and evaluation

Design Thinking

User-centred, problem-solving approach focusing on understanding users, challenging assumptions & testing solutions through iteration

Stages of design thinking

Empathise: understand user's needs Define: clearly state core problem Ideate: brainstorm creative solutions Prototype: build simple versions of possible solutions Test: try solutions with users and refine based on feedback

Double Diamond

Visual design process model that splits process into 2 diamonds: discover/define and develop/deliver

Diamond 1

Discover (research the problem) / Define (narrow down the real problem)

Diamond 2

Develop (explore possible solutions) / Deliver (implement, test and refine final solution)

Double Diamond example

Online shopping website redesign

Lean UX

Rapid iteration with MVPs, iterative and collaborative designs focusing on outcomes

Usability Engineering Lifecycle 3 phases

Requirements: User/task analysis Design/Testing: Prototyping + evaluation Installation: Post-launch feedback

UEL vs SL

UEL: structured phases, focuses on formal usability testing SL: no fixed order, evaluation drives next steps, focuses on flexibility

Pros and Cons of UEL

Pros: bridges gap between users + developers, metrics driven Cons: less flexible than Star/PD, may not suit rapidly changing needs