User Centred Design (UCD)
User centred design means that users are involved from the very start of a project, right through to the final deployment. It means building on solid evidence at every stage, giving you confidence you’re on track.
Development is grounded in a thorough understanding of user needs and behaviour, gained through appropriate research methods and consolidation of existing knowledge.
This includes the users having input when determining their goals, developing user profiles, and task analysis. During the design and development, all iterations and prototypes (even paper based ones) can quickly be tested with users.
By taking a user centred design approach, user testing and expert usability reviews can be conducted at the stages in development where the most valuable feedback and return on investment can be realised, and when re-design is less costly.
By validating early and often with users, a great user experience is built into the design and the site is more likely to:
- sell more
- hold a customer’s attention for longer
- encourage more frequent visits
- reinforce corporate reputation
We have extensive experience of running user centred design programmes in both the private and public sectors, and can advise on the best approach to suit your budget and timescales.
