The door that says Push
Have you ever pulled a door that said Push? Or pushed one that said Pull?
The door works. The sign is right. But the door was not designed for you.
Software can fail in the same way. It works, but people cannot use it. User centred design stops this. It starts with the user, not the code.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| User centred design | Designing a product by studying the people who will use it, and testing with them. | watch real users, then improve |
| UCD | The short name for user centred design. | We say UCD for short. |
| User experience | How it feels to use a product, from start to finish. | easy, fast and clear |
| Empathetic | Trying to understand how another person feels and what they need. | asking why a user is confused |
| Iterative | Done in rounds: try, learn, improve, and try again. | three versions of a screen |
| Interdisciplinary | Using people with different skills together. | designer, developer and tester |
| Context of use | Who uses the product, where, when and how. | a student on a noisy bus |
| Agile | A way of working in short rounds, delivering a little at a time. | a new version every 2 weeks |
| Waterfall | A way of working in fixed steps, one finished before the next. | plan, design, build, test |
| Requirement | Something the software must do or be. | large text for people who cannot see well |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Six questions about the user
| Question | What it asks | Bus app example |
|---|---|---|
| Who is the user? | Age, skills, needs | Students and older people |
| What do they want to achieve? | Their goal | Find the next bus and its time |
| How do they use the product? | Phone, laptop, voice | On a phone, with one hand |
| When do they use it? | Time and place | At a bus stop, in the rain, in a hurry |
| Why do they use it? | Their reason | To avoid waiting a long time |
| What is the experience like? | How it feels | It must be quick and clear, even with a weak phone signal |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Quick check: which question?
Have a go
Quick check: which question?
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The three characteristics of UCD
Have a go
The three characteristics of UCD
6 questionsHave a go: your answers are marked here and then forgotten. Sign in if you would like your score kept, and to pick up where you left off.Sign in to keep your score
Your answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.