Chapter 3
Agenda/Learning Objectives
1) Introduce core principles of a UCD methodology: 10 UCD Commandments (Principles)
a) Practitioners, such as designers, developers, project managers, and any other positions tasked
with implementing a design project, need to have:
i) a reliable set of principles to guide what they do, to use to measure success
ii) fundamental methods, housed inside a reliable, repeatable process, that they can carry
out to involve users as the focus of their design
c) Thou must involve users often
i) When is it too early to involve users? Never.
ii) Design is exposed to more eyeballsthe important eyeballs of the usersand potential
big problems are discovered and addressed before they become too big to be fixed
d) Thou must design for use in context (the product will be used in the real world so design
accordingly)
i) Must consider where, when, and how user will use product
1) Environment?
ii) Ex: Palm Pilot
1) Invented by Jeff Hawkins
2) Wanted to know how users would want to use what, when, where, and how
3) Carried around wooden prototypes in pocket to better understand use scenario and
context
(a) Scissors = simple
(b) Programming microwave = complex
2) Balance functionality with usability
3) Colbornes (2011) user groups:
(a) Experts: have specialized knowledge, grand expectations, and want a plethora of
functions and possibilities, dont mind complexity and like the challenge
4) Colbornes (2011) tips to keep it simple:
(a) Prioritize: limit features only to those required to accomplish the primary
function of the tool, process, or environment
f) Thou must be polite
i) Designers sometimes build a product to achieve its technological end regardless of the
user needs or wants
1) The way most people deal with cognitive friction, when faced with a lot of challenges
or possible choices that appear unclear or change without clear reason, is to simplify
ii) Coopers (1999) fourteen distinct ways that will make software (or really anything people
use that is made for them) polite:
1) Polite software is interested in me
8) Polite software is well informed
9) Polite software is perceptive
g) Thou must know your users
i) You really dont know who your users are unless you:
1) interact with them
ii) Get an accurate picture of usersnot what we think or guess might be right.
1) Need to understand user motivation, emotions, capabilities, preferences
h) Thou must give users control
i) Users should have (or feel as though they have) control when interacting with a product
ii) Control doesnt mean more features
1) Client couldnt understand why hotel guest calls for wakeup reminders had actually
increased 4x since installation of new alarm clocks
2) Clocks had every possible feature, including snooze, nap, and sleep functions, as well
as additional controls, such as a dimmer for the alarm clock lighting, multiple alarm
sound options, multiple reminders so the user could completely customize settings
vi) Users are like water
1) Water will find a way to go downstream regardless of obstacles presented to it.
Rather than attempt to block them from doing what they want to do, why not just
1) Visceral: this is the appearance of a product and our reaction to itwhat is our gut
reaction when we see it? Does it appeal to us? Does its design make us want to pick
it up and use it?
2) Behavioral: this is our feelings about using the productdo we like using the
product? Do we feel comfortable using it?
3) Reflective: this is how we see ourselves as we use the productcan we see ourselves
using it and do we like the idea of that image?
iv) As designers, we should always check if our product is emotionally appealing
k) Thou must discover before designing and delivering, and thou must know that discovery
never ends, even after delivery
i) Discovery is the process of understanding:
1) who are our users,
2) what are their needs,
3) what do we need to do to make our product work for them,
4) what have others done, and
5) what can we learn from users to improve this product and others.
2) Introduce RABBIT process
a) Research users,
b) Assess the environment, the project goals and requirements, and the competition
c) Balance user needs and affordances with your teams design aesthetic, and overall
organization demands
3) Review: Takeaways, Discussion Questions, UCD Quests
a) Review key points
b) Group discussion and Q&A