Why users rule your development process
The User-Centered Design (UCD) process is the fundamental reason why you should let your users rule the development process.
How do you include users in your development process? Broken down, the most important concept of the UCD process is to talk to your users, learn how they understand the world and keep the dialogue throughout the process. Sounds simple, right?
The UCD process is iterative
Users are the centre of your development process and need to be included through each design iterations. The iterative technique is vital to your UCD process, as you need to evaluate, talk about your design solutions and how they implement the user needs.
Implement the four UCD concepts and be surprised:
1. Understand the context of use
2. Refine the user requirements
3. Create prototypes
4. Evaluate the prototypes
Understand the context of use
Start a conversation with your users. Structure your conversation with some questions. Is there a problem you can solve in their everyday lives?
There are several ways of understanding the context of use. There are several ways to collect data. For example, you can jot down notes on a piece of paper, use a computer, conduct a quantitative questionnaire or sound record the conversation to capture the requirements.
Refine the user requirements
The conversation with the target group has hopefully been fruitful and the paper is full of notes or low-fidelity prototypes. Structure the collected data by your choice, normally by functional and non-functional requirements.
Create prototypes
Visualize the collected data using pen and paper and show them to your target group. In the early stages of the prototype development, low-fidelity prototypes are favoured over high-fidelity prototypes.
Low-fidelity prototypes are cost-effective and provide the level of detail needed in the first iteration. In contrast, high-fidelity prototypes require more time and need a level of detail that is hard to capture in the first iteration.
Evaluate the prototypes
Evaluate and get feedback on the prototypes you have created. There are methods you can use to evaluate your prototype, such as the System Usability Score. The core concept with evaluation is to show and discuss the prototype with your users.
When the evaluation is reviewed, go back to the user requirements and readjust the prototype using the initial user requirements. Did you really understand the context of use?
When the requirements are met
The outcome of a UCD process must be a solution for the user, customer and technology provider. Close involvement of users will help the end product to meet user expectations. When the user requirements are met, the level of quality of the system is higher and will build a fundament that will enable the trust to your system.
Using UCD in your development process will absolutely save time, meet user expectations and increase sale. That said, users doesn’t rule your development process, they need to be included and heard.
Read more about trust in the article Trust in human banking.
