User-oriented design is a special design discipline that focuses on the interests of the customer or the target group. Today, the term “User Centered Design” (UCD) is often used. Especially in the field of interactive systems, software development and web applications, user-oriented design plays a decisive role in success or failure.
Focus on Users
The focus of user-centered design is on the user. At the beginning of this century, economic success could still be measured in particular by how often a product was sold. In times of digitalization, this scale is too limited. Because in many areas of services the degree of utilization determines the success of an offer.
The mere marketing of a product on the basis of beautifully designed elements is too short-sighted today. The concept of user-oriented design could give the impression that the challenge is to meet the customer’s taste. But user-centered design goes one step further. This is because customers and users no longer decide on the basis of the first impression and the look of a website or web application, the focus is on usability.
Websites have been around for more than two decades. While they initially served merely to convey information, many pages today are geared towards the interaction between system and user. Examples can be found in abundance. From online banking to order processing in the online shop to booking flights via an online portal. Intuitive and logical usability is the decisive factor in user satisfaction or frustration. And it is precisely this user-friendliness that is the basis of good user-centered design.
Development in Phases
The development of these design solutions is to take place successively in phases. The planning phase focuses on the future user and his or her habits, e.g. the question: Who is visiting the site and what is the goal? What purpose does the user follow on the site? For example, interviews or online surveys can be carried out in order to get to know or specify the requirements of the users in detail.
In the second step, these findings are evaluated. From which the requirements for the site, the software or the web application can be derived. Only then does the process of creating a concept begin, from which the first drafts are created. Depending on the budget and schedule. Such prototypes and designs can then be tested by the potential target group for evaluation. This approach of iteration is the central principle of successful user-centered design.
The ISO standard of user-centered design
The first drafts of these development phases of user-centered design were already available in 1985. In the course of the 90s, corresponding models were developed that are dedicated to the design process of interactive systems. Since March 2010, the ISO standard (DIN EN ISO 9241-210) “Process for the design of usable systems” (successor to ISO 13407) has been in place in this regard.
To outsiders, it may seem surprising that a design process should follow an ISO standard. But in this renewed version, the criterion of user experience has been included for the first time in addition to usability. Because this is probably exactly where the challenge lies: to develop design solutions according to the standards in such a way that they leave a positive impression on the user even before they are used.
Accordingly, user-centered design is still a modern and possibly timeless method of product development that takes into account both the demands and the positive application experience of customers and users alike. Perfectly implemented, the user-centered design fully meets the user’s usage requirements.