B1.1 User Centered Design (DP1)

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to User-Centred Design (UCD), research methods, personas, usability goals (Five E's), and task analysis.

User-centered design (UCD)

Focuses on understanding the needs, preferences and limitations of end-users throughout the product development process, involving actively engaging users in an iterative process, gathering feedback and using that information to prioritise the user when creating products and services that are usable, accessible and enjoyable.

Field research

Involves observing people in their natural environment to obtain an understanding of their needs and normal behaviour, typically carried out early in the design process. Techniques include field trials, ethnographic interviews, and observation of everyday activities.

Ethnographic interviews

The scientific description of peoples and cultures with their customs, habits and mutual differences.

Method of extremes

Looks at the extremes of the user population distribution, using these positions along with the mean to design equipment for general use.

Universal design

Aims to create designs that are usable by all people to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialised design, contrasting with 'designing for extremes'.

Observation (research method)

Involves watching users as they use a product, either in a controlled laboratory or in their normal environment, to gather information on how a product is used and any usability problems encountered.

Interviews (research method)

Involve the observer interacting directly with the user to ask questions regarding issues of usability, taking forms such as structured, semi-structured, or unstructured.

Unstructured interviews

Use predominantly open-ended questions that require more than one or two words to answer and allow the interviewee to answer in their own words.

Structured (standardised) interviews

Ask closed questions for which a set of fixed responses are provided or only a simple yes or no reply is required, with the primary purpose of ensuring a fair, objective and consistent evaluation using a standardised set of questions and evaluation criteria.

Rensis Likert

The American social psychologist who developed the Likert type scale in 1932 to measure attitudes and opinions.

Likert type scale

A scale typically ranging from 1 to 5, used in questionnaires to measure attitudes and opinions by asking for an evaluation (e.g., 'strongly dislike' through to 'strongly like').

Reliability (questionnaires)

Relates to the repeatability of the response to a question in a questionnaire.

Validity (questionnaires)

Concerned with the degree to which a question in a questionnaire measures what is intended.

Focus groups

An evaluation tool commonly used in market research and usability testing to gauge the opinions and experiences of the public in relation to a specific topic, typically small with 8-12 participants, facilitated by a leader.

Questionnaires (research method)

Self-administered lists of questions provided to a respondent to be read and completed without any outside interference, which can be fixed-response or open-ended.

Fixed-response questions

Questions aimed at obtaining quantitative data, consisting of a selection of responses from which the respondent is asked to choose, or a rating scale for agreement/disagreement.

Open-ended questions (questionnaires)

Questions that allow respondents to answer in their own words, potentially uncovering previously unexpected information and gathering qualitative data, useful in early design stages.

User population

A group defined in terms of common characteristics (age, gender, physical condition, handedness, ethnicity) or common goals/needs.

Persona / Personae

Fictional constructs, not real people, derived from ethnographic research and field trials that embody the results of extensive research and focus on the behavior of a user group with common goals.

Primary persona

A fictional construct representing the core target users whose needs the design prioritizes, including their goals, needs, and preferences, to guide design decisions.

Secondary persona

A fictional construct representing extended user groups whose needs are incorporated into the design where possible, after satisfying the primary persona's requirements.

Anti-persona

A representation of a user group that could misuse a product in ways that negatively impact target users and the business, or non-target groups a design does not serve, used to test for potential safety issues, security loopholes, product damage, and marketing mistakes.

Use case

A written description of how a user will interact with a product/design as seen from the user's perspective, used to gain insight into the product's usability.

Five E's (Usability goals)

A set of tools used to establish specific goals for usability, including Effective (Functionality), Efficient (Memorability), Engaging (Satisfaction), Error tolerant (Errors), and Easy to learn (Learnability).

Effective (Functionality)

A usability goal that ensures the product allows users to complete their intended tasks accurately and completely, meeting the performance requirements of the majority of users.

Efficient (Memorability)

A usability goal where, after learning the system, users can finish tasks quickly and with minimal effort.

Engaging (Satisfaction)

A usability goal where the interface creates a positive, satisfying user experience, holding attention, feeling pleasant to use, and matching user expectations.

Error tolerant (Errors)

A usability goal where the system prevents user mistakes where possible, and when errors do occur, it provides clear feedback and simple ways to undo or recover, avoiding serious consequences.

Easy to learn (Learnability)

A usability goal where new or first-time users can understand basic operations rapidly, without long training or complicated manuals, guided by intuitive design that is predictable.

Learnability

How easily a new user can learn to use a product and reach an acceptable level of proficiency.

Memorability

How easily a user can remember how to use the product after not using it for some time.

Task analysis

A strategy used to develop empathy and gain understanding of how users perform a task to achieve their intended goal, deconstructing complex user interactions into discrete, manageable units of analysis.

Task analysis process (iterative)

An ongoing process used by designers to understand how users perform tasks, involving identifying tasks, breaking them into smaller steps, evaluating problems, documenting results, improving on mistakes, and retesting.

Poka-yoke

Translates from Japanese as mistake-proofing or error prevention; a system or product design that shapes user behavior to prevent accidents, mistakes, and errors.

Empathy (in task analysis)

Developed as designers understand the user’s experience more completely by breaking down activity into individual steps, making potential pain points and frustrations clearer.

UCD advantages

Products are usable, accessible, enjoyable, and more intuitive.

UCD disadvantages

Can be expensive, difficult to interpret different types of data, and time-consuming.

Developing Personas (steps)

Includes collecting data (interviews, surveys, observations, focus groups), analyzing data (flow charts, identifying patterns, analyzing success rates), and identifying key user groups (creating small groups with common traits).

UCD Research Plan components

Includes identifying research questions, choosing research methods, developing a persona, identifying the product focus, and listing design specifications or considerations.