User-Centered Design (UCD) is a design methodology focused on the needs, wants, and limitations of end users, emphasizing their involvement throughout the design process. It encompasses a structured approach that includes analysis, design, and evaluation phases, utilizing tools such as personas and use cases to inform the design. Alternatives to UCD include Activity-Centered Design (ACD) and Goal-Directed Design (GDD), which shift focus from the user to activities and business objectives.

1. Introduction to
User
Centered
Design
1. What it is?. Philosophy and Principles.
2. How to use it? methodology and basic tools.
3. Beyond UCD. Alternatives methodologies
TOPIC
UCD
In short
Design notes: User Centered Design

2. is a Design methodology
in which...
1. What it is UCD?
needs, wants and limitations
of the end users of a product.
are considering during all stages
of the design process*
Analysis, design, implementation and Deployment
First defined by DonaldNorman in 1986. Become a dominant paradigm in
design of products, interfaces and applications design. Check: ISO 13407 (1999)

3. “”
philosophy
from system-centered design to user-centered design
1. What it is UCD?
The system adapts to the user
and not the opposite
(as systems-centered or engineering-driven design)

4. principles
1. What it is UCD?
Early focus on users, tasks and environment
structured and systematic information gathering (interviews, observation, etc).
Users are involved throughout design and development.
Empirical measurement and testing
Iterative design
Testing with real users. Focus on ease of learning and ease of use
design, test with users, refine, test with users again, refine…until it's right.
1
2
3

5. methodology
2. How to use it?
Basic process*
Sources: UXPA and W3.org
Analysis Phase
Meet with key stakeholders to set vision
Include usability tasks in the project plan
Assemble a multidisciplinary team to ensure
complete expertise
Develop usability goals and objectives
Conduct field studies
Look at competitive products
Create user profiles
Develop a task analysis
Document user scenarios
Document user performance requirements
Design Phase and Evaluation phase (iterative)
Begin to brainstorm design concepts and
metaphors
Develop screen flow and navigation model
Do walkthroughs of design concepts
Begin design with paper and pencil
Create low-fidelity prototypes
Conduct usability testing on low-fidelity prototypes
Create high-fidelity detailed design
Do usability testing again
Document standards and guidelines
Create a design specification
Implementation Phase
Do ongoing heuristic evaluations
Work closely with delivery team as design is
implemented.
Conduct usability testing as soon as possible
Deployment Phase
Use surveys to get user feedback
Conduct field studies to get info about actual use
Check objectives using usability testing

6. methodology and tools
2. How to use it?
Basic tools and techniques by process*
This just illustrates a typical process of UCD applied to designing web applications.
Analysis Phase
Data gathering methods (interviews, observation, etc)
User/Audience analysis
Task/Purpose analysis
AI analysis
Workflow analysis
Design Phase
Conceptual/mental model
Navigation design
Storyboards, wireframes
Detailed design
Mockups
Functional prototypes
Evaluation Phase
Cognitive walkthroughs
Heuristic evaluation
Guidelines reviews
Usability testing
Implementation Phase
Heuristic evaluation
Usability testing
Deployment Phase
Users feedback tools
System tracking
Usability testing
Check: servicedesigntools.org

7. 3 basic tools
2. How to use it?
personas
Useful...
to create a common shared understanding of the user group
for which the design process is built around.
to prioritize the design considerations by providing a context of what the user
needs and what functions are simply nice to add and have.
Why to use it?
fictional character
with all the characteristics of the user
(of the primary stakeholder group. Also secondary and anti-persona).
based on
field research process (observation, stakeholders info, interviews, etc)
What?

8. 2. How to use it?
create a social context to which the personas exist in (an actual physical world).
the story-form helps because is easy to understand for everyone.
fictional story
about the "daily life of" or a sequence of events
where personas are the main character of the story.
the story should be specific of the events happening
that relate to the problems of the primary stakeholder group.
based on assumptions and data.
Why to use it?
3 basic tools scenario
What?

9. 2. How to use it?
Describe the interaction between an individual and the rest of the world (a short event)
normally include details about an Interaction represented with a serie of simple steps to achieve a goal
(based in the character) (cause-effect scheme)
Normally expressed in a 2 columns table: Actor / word.
Other special type of Use case are: essential use case
(abstract form, describes the essence of the problem)
helps to:
make problem easier to handle for designers
(because brake problems or complicated task into smaller bits)
help identify useful levels of design work
(the actual low level processes the problem is involved)
better understanding of the problem splitting it into small parts (analytical methodology)
Why to use it?
3 basic tools use cases
What?

10. 3. Beyond UCD
alternatives
Same D.Norman has criticized this dominance and proposed as an alternative the
Activity Centered Design. ACD explain according to Norman, why so many not
UCD products are successful.
ACD switch focus from user into activities that were to be performed.
Alan Cooper developed other methodology alternative named Goal-Directed
Design (GDD) Uses personas and their goals from a business approach.
“What do people desire?” / “Of the things people desire, what will sustain a business?” /
“Of the things people desire that will also sustain a business, what can we build?”
ACD and GDD
ACDGDD
UCD seems to be the dominant paradigm today, but there is not the only view.

11. 4.
REFERENCES
UCD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User-centered_design
http://www.usabilityprofessionals.org/usability_resources/about_usability/what_is_ucd.html
http://www.w3.org/WAI/redesign/ucd
http://www.servicedesigntools.org/tools/
ACD
http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/human-centered_desig.html
http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/activitycentere.html
GDD
http://www.uie.com/articles/goal_directed_design/
http://www.dubberly.com/articles/alan-cooper-and-the-goal-directed-design-process.html
http://www.cooper.com/journal/2008/05/six_sigma_and_goaldirected_des.html
Design notes: User Centered Design