User-Centred Design Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the principles, research methods, and usability objectives of User-Centred Design (UCD) as detailed in the lecture transcript.

User-centred design (UCD)

A methodology that places the user at the heart of the design process to ensure products and services meet the genuine needs and expectations of intended users.

Inclusive design

Design that is welcoming, responsive to needs, intuitive, flexible, and convenient so it can be used without undue effort to maximize independence.

User Personas

Fictional representations of typical users based on research findings that help designers empathize with users and make informed design decisions.

Usability Testing

An evaluation of a product's usability to identify areas for improvement, often involving observing users interacting with prototypes or existing products.

Field Research

A research method involving studying users in their natural environment to observe real-world behaviors, challenges, and interactions with systems.

User Observation

A method where researchers watch users interact with a product to identify usability issues and pain points without direct interference.

Interviews

One-on-one discussions with users to gain in-depth insights into their needs, experiences, and expectations regarding a product.

Questionnaires

Structured surveys using open or closed-ended questions to collect quantitative or qualitative feedback from a large group of users.

Focus Groups

Group discussions facilitated by a researcher to gather diverse perspectives, opinions, and ideas from multiple users about a concept.

Demographic data

Statistical information about a population, such as age, gender, income, education, and occupation, used to understand target user characteristics.

Learnability

A usability objective referring to how easy it is for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they use a product.

Efficiency

A usability objective measuring how quickly users can complete tasks once they are familiar with the system by reducing the number of steps needed.

Memorability

A usability objective referring to how easily users can return to using a product after a break without needing to relearn how it works.

Errors (Usability Objective)

A usability objective covering error prevention and recovery, aiming to minimize mistakes and help users quickly fix any that occur.

Satisfaction

A usability objective reflecting how enjoyable and rewarding the overall user experience is, including aesthetics, ease of use, and responsiveness.

Task analysis

A strategy used to deconstruct complex processes into individual steps to understand how users perform actions to achieve specific goals.