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User Interface Design C773

Unit 3: User-Centered Web Design

Last edited 397 days ago by Makiel [Muh-Keel].

User-centered design is about keeping the user's needs in mind when designing and developing a solution. This could mean keeping the user in mind when designing the solution or involving them in the process altogether.

What is user-interface design?

The process of designing the visual and interactive aspects of a digital product. It involves creating the layout, color schemes, typography, buttons, icons, and other elements that users interact with. The goal of UI design is to ensure that the interface is visually appealing, easy to use, and consistent with the brand's identity

Module 9

Benefits of user-centered design:

With the user's involvement throughout the process, products are more likely to meet the user's expectations and requirements.

This could lead to increased sales and lower costs incurred by customer support.

Interface designers generally create products for people in specific contexts and with specific tasks. Including users throughout the design process reduces the chance of a situation occurring with a high risk of human error.

This means the creation of safer products.

Putting designers in contact with users allows a more profound sense of empathy to emerge.

This is critical in creating ethical designs that respect both privacy and the quality of life.

By focusing on all users of a product, designers can recognize the diversity of cultures and human values—a step towards creating sustainable businesses.

10 User-Centered Design Principles

1. Design for users and their tasks

The developer needs to consider the audience, users, application, and characteristics. Most users adopt various systems to support themselves in performing some form of tasks.

2. Maintain consistency

As users navigate through a site, it can become confusing if buttons begin working differently than expected, or radical changes in the design of the site appear. In other words, the behavior of the site elements should remain consistent.

3. Use simple and natural dialogue

The application should be simple in that the only information displayed should be relevant and essential to the task. The language itself should be plain English when possible (when the audience is English-speaking) and ensure the vocabulary is relevant to the target audience.

4. Reduce unnecessary mental effort by the user

If users are trying to perform a task, they are likely to be less worried about the tool and more concerned about the outcomes. Making an interface too complicated can become frustrating because it distracts the end users. Make the interface as intuitive as possible and provide instructions when something needs to be complex.

5. Provide adequate feedback

Anytime a user completes or does something on the site, there should be some form of feedback. No one likes to buy something or submit a task with no assurance that what they did was successful. If the operation takes a little longer, consider adding a progress bar.

6. Provide adequate navigation mechanisms

Being able to navigate cleanly and with ease is another critical consideration. On smaller sites, this could include ensuring that pages or links are named the same, and on larger sites, this could include a navigation map. It is essential to provide clear routes between different windows and to ensure users can exit a page or return to the beginning if they get lost.

7. Let the users take charge

The user understands what they need the most. The system is there to provide information or perform a task.

8. Present information clearly

How the information is arranged is essential. This is usually accomplished by the way a site is designed. This could include proper boxes, spacing, tables, etc.

9. Offer assistance

Sometimes the information will be clear and proper navigations will be in place, but the users will still need assistance. It is important to provide informational tips and icon-labeled buttons when possible to provide this assistance. Any instructions that are provided should be self-explanatory to allow the user to keep moving forward.

10. Error-free

Lastly, ensure the site is free of errors and is navigating users in a way that minimizes errors. This could be accomplished by doing simple things such as incorporating data validation to any type of input.

Phases of User-Design Process

Specify the context of use

Identify the product users, what they will be using it for, and under what conditions.

Specify requirements

Identify any requirements or goals that need to be met for the interface to be successful.

Create design solutions

This phase builds through the interface until there is a complete design.

Evaluate designs

Actual users should be performing usability testing within this phase.

What is the key principle of user-centered design?

If you incorporate data from users, you’re more likely to create designs that fit their needs.

Why is it hard to turn empathy-based concepts into something systematic?

Empathy involves understanding and resonating with the emotions, experiences, and perspectives of others.

Human emotions are complex and nuanced, making it difficult to create systems that adequately address or replicate the depth of human empathy.

What are the results of applying user-centered design?

Helps you translate the wants and needs of end-users into technological solutions.

Module 9

Benefits of user-centered design:

10 User-Centered Design Principles

Phases of User-Design Process

Participatory Design

Scenario-Based Design

Persona

Use Case

Usability Testing

Persona, Use Case, and Usability Testing in User Interface Design

Case Approach

Verification and Validation Process

What's the difference between validation and verification?

Accessibility

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