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User Centered Design Overview
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"The dumbest mistake is viewing design as something you do at the end of the process to 'tidy up' the mess, as opposed to understanding it's a 'day one' issue and part of everything."

- Tom Peters
Journal of Business and Design, Vol 6, No. 1
Usability Process

User Centered Design (UCD) Process

User-centered design is an approach to design that grounds the process in information about the people who will use the product.

UCD processes focus on users through the planning, design and development of a product.
--Usability Professionals Association

Following this process to develop a product can result in a number of significant advantages for the development team, by producing products that:

  • Are easier to understand and use, thus reducing training and support costs.

  • Improve the quality of life of users by reducing stress and improving satisfaction.

  • Significantly improve the productivity and operational efficiency of individual users and consequently the organization.

5 Stages of the UCD Process

The following chart outlines the five steps necessary for creating and deploying user-centered web sites.
REQUIREMENTS AND PLANNING: Getting Started
Tasks and Activities Deliverables Usability Test Methods
  • site strategy

  • user needs assessment
  • project plan (that includes usability testing)

  • schedule

  • build project team

  • set high level site goals
  • personal interview

  • contextual inquiry

  • surveys

  • focus groups
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN: Creating the Framework and Flow
Tasks and Activities Deliverables Usability Test Methods
  • task design

  • information architecture

  • audit existing content

  • outline new content

  • usability testing
  • develop site map

  • define navigation framework

  • set naming conventions

  • storyboards

  • content delivery plan
  • exploratory tests

  • task flow storyboards

  • card sort/reverse card sort
DETAILED DESIGN: Designing the Look and Feel
Tasks and Activities Deliverables Usability Test Methods
  • review site goals

  • presentation design

  • content design

  • interaction design

  • 508 accessibility compliance assessment

  • usability testing
  • paper prototypes

  • wireframes

  • high fidelity mock-ups

  • functioning prototypes

  • write style guide

  • design graphical templates

  • usability test plan and recommendations

  • launch and implementation plan
  • user performance tests on mock-ups and prototypes

  • task modeling assessment

  • usability questionnaires

  • review templates against style guide
PRODUCTION: Building the Site
Tasks and Activities Deliverables Usability Test Methods
  • review and follow style guide

  • build HTML templates

  • populate pages

  • integrate with back end

  • final 508 accessibility compliance assessment

  • final usability testing
  • launch site
  • usability test plan and recommendations

  • optimized graphics
  • user performance tests on functioning development site
MAINTENANCE: Monitoring and Updating
Tasks and Activities Deliverables Usability Test Methods
  • launch site

  • monitor user feedback

  • monitor web stats

  • usability test new features and changes prior to launch
  • maintenance plan

  • assign maintenance team
  • user comments

  • user surveys

  • server logs

  • expert review

  • user performance tests on live site

  • user performance tests on new feature prototypes
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