Introduction to Human-Centered Design

Human-Centered Design (HCD)

• Human-Centered Design (HCD) is an approach to problem-solving that prioritizes the needs, behaviors, and experiences of end-users in the design process.
• HCD aims to create products, services, or systems that are intuitive, effective, and satisfying for users.

Importance of HCD

• Applying HCD methods and principles ensures that the final product is tailored to the real needs and preferences of users.
• HCD helps to identify and solve potential issues early in the design process, reducing the risk of costly redesigns and improving the likelihood of product success.

Form Over Function

• When design prioritizes aesthetics over usability, it can lead to products that are visually appealing but difficult or frustrating to use.
• Good design should balance aesthetics and functionality to ensure both appeal and usability.

Affordances

• Affordances refer to the properties of an object that indicate how it can be used.
• Hidden affordances are those potential uses that are not immediately obvious to the user.
• In HCD, making affordances visible and intuitive is crucial to ensure that users can understand and interact with the product effortlessly.

Involving Users Throughout the Design Process

• Involving users throughout the design and development process ensures that their needs, preferences, and limitations are adequately considered.
• User involvement helps to uncover insights and potential issues that designers may not anticipate.

The HCD Process

• The HCD process typically involves the following phases:
  • Research and Discovery
  • Ideation
  • Prototyping
  • User Testing
  • Iteration

Consequences of an Interface

• Considering the consequences of an interface is crucial to prevent potentially harmful or dangerous outcomes.
• The Therac-25 incident is a notable example where poor interface design and software bugs led to several patient deaths and injuries.

Iterative Design

• Iterative design is a cyclical process of prototyping, testing, analyzing, and refining a product.
• The main phases of the design cycle include:
  • Planning
  • Designing
  • Testing
  • Analyzing
  • Refining

Matching Users' Real-World Expectations

• Designs that match users' real-world expectations are more intuitive and easier to use, reducing the learning curve and increasing efficiency.
• Designs that do not align with real-world expectations can lead to user frustration and errors.

Academic Disciplines that HCD Draws Inspiration From

• HCD draws inspiration from various academic disciplines, including:
  • Psychology
  • Anthropology
  • Sociology
  • Design
  • Engineering

Multidisciplinary Teams

• Multidisciplinary teams bring together diverse perspectives, skills, and expertise, which enhances the creativity and comprehensiveness of the design process.

Distinguishing Usability, User Experience, and UIs

• Usability refers to how effectively, efficiently, and satisfactorily a user can interact with a product to achieve their goals.
• User Experience (UX) encompasses all aspects of the user's interaction with the product, including usability, emotional responses, and overall satisfaction.
• User Interfaces (UIs) are the specific elements and layout through which users interact with a product.

The 10 Commandments of HCD

• Thou must involve users early.
• Thou must involve users often.
• Thou must design for use in context.
• Thou must keep it simple.
• Thou must be polite.
• Thou must know thy users.
• Thou must give users control.
• Thou must remember and design for emotion.
• Thou must trust but verify.
• Thou must discover before designing and delivering.

Properties of a Simple and Elegant Interface

• Clarity: clear visual hierarchy and easily understandable elements.
• Minimalism: removing unnecessary elements and focusing on essential functions.
• Consistency: uniform design language and predictable behavior.
• Feedback: immediate and relevant responses to user actions.
• Affordance: clear indications of how elements can be used.
• Accessibility: inclusive design accommodating various user needs.### Understanding Users' Needs
• Addressing the whole user experience ensures that the design is relevant and effective in real-world settings
• Understanding users' pain points, tasks, motivations, and goals helps designers create solutions that directly address users' needs
• Empathy is essential in design because it allows designers to understand and share the feelings and experiences of users

User Research Methods

• Interviews: one-on-one conversations to explore users' experiences, feelings, and attitudes in-depth
• Surveys: questionnaires distributed to a large audience to gather quantitative data on user preferences and behaviors
• Focus Groups: group discussions to collect diverse opinions and insights on a specific topic or product
• Diary Studies: longitudinal studies where participants record their experiences and interactions over time, providing rich, contextual data

Research Design

• Triangulation: using multiple methods or data sources in research to enhance the credibility and validity of the findings
• Factors important when selecting a research method: research goals, participants, context, resources, and data type
• Open-ended questions: encourage detailed responses and insights
• Closed-ended questions: yield specific, often short, answers
• Probing questions: follow-up questions to gain deeper understanding
• Leading questions: suggest a particular answer (often avoided to reduce bias)

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

• Affinity diagrams: tools used to organize ideas and data into themes or categories, helping teams to identify patterns and derive insights
• Triangulation: helps to cross-verify data, uncover deeper insights, and reduce bias
• Actionable insights: findings from research that can directly inform and guide decision-making and design improvements

Service Design

• Service design focuses on designing the overall experience of a service, including its processes, touchpoints, and interactions
• Intangible experiences: non-physical aspects of a service that users perceive and interact with
• Touchpoints: points of interaction between the user and the service provider
• Time (sequencing): understanding the sequence of touchpoints and interactions helps designers create a coherent and seamless experience

Design Principles and Methods

• The 5 principles of service design: user-centered, co-creative, sequencing, evidencing, and holistic
• Journey maps: visual representations of the user's experience with a service over time
• Empathy maps: visualize what users say, think, feel, and do, helping design teams understand users' emotional states and motivations

Qualitative Research

• Qualitative research: focuses on understanding human experiences, behaviors, and interactions through methods like interviews, observations, and diary studies

• Thematic analysis: identifies and analyzes patterns or themes within qualitative data

• Representative quotes: illustrate key findings and provide evidence to support the analysis### Evaluation Methods

• Cognitive walkthrough: simulates a user's thought process to identify usability issues

• Heuristic evaluation: experts review design against established usability principles (heuristics) to identify potential problems

• Wizard of Oz method: users interact with a system they believe is fully functional, but a human is controlling part of the system behind the scenes

Performance Metrics

• Measure how well users can complete tasks using a design
• Common metrics: task completion time, error rate, user satisfaction

Conducting an Evaluation Study

• Define goals and scope of the study
• Select appropriate methods and metrics
• Recruit representative users
• Conduct the study, observing and recording user interactions
• Analyze data to identify usability issues and opportunities for improvement

Choosing the Most Suitable Evaluation Approach

• Diary study: useful for understanding long-term user experiences and behaviors
• Usability testing: best for identifying specific usability issues and testing task performance

Study Guide

• Analyze data to identify patterns and key issues
• Translate findings into actionable recommendations for improving design
• Prioritize recommendations based on impact and feasibility

User-Centered Design (UCD)

• Focuses on user needs, wants, and limitations
• Involves users throughout the design process
• Designs for user experience, not just functionality
• Seeks to create an experience that transcends the material

Key Principles of UCD

• Users have goals and must interact with the system to execute them
• System has a particular interface that needs evaluation
• Execution or intention flows from user to system; evaluation or interface flows from system to user
• UCD bridges the gap between execution and evaluation

Benefits of UCD

• Users are involved from the beginning of the design process
• Users are in control of managing the system
• UCD considers user's mental model: how users think about a product, how they use it, and where, when, and under what circumstances they interact with it