Week 6: User Centered Design

User-Centered Design (UCD) or pervasive usability is a design philosophy and a process in which the needs, wants, and limitations of end users of a product are given extensive attention at each stage of the design process. User-centered design can be characterized as a multi-stage problem solving process that not only requires designers to analyze and foresee how users are likely to use a product, but also to test the validity of their assumptions with regards to user behaviour in real world tests with actual users. Such testing is necessary as it is often very difficult for the designers of a product to understand intuitively what a first-time user of their design experiences, and what each user's learning curve may look like.

Advantages and Disadvantages of user-centered design:

Advantages
- Products are more efficient,effective, and safe.
- Assists in managing users expectations and levels of satisfaction with the product.
- Users develop a sense of ownership for the product.
- Products require less redesign and integrate into the environment more quickly.
- The collaborative process generated more creative design solutions to problems.

Disadvantages
- It is more costly.
- It takes more time.
- May require the involvement of additional design team members (i. e. ethnographers,usability experts) and wide range of stakeholders
- May be difficult to translate some types of data into design
- The product may be too specific for more general use, thus not readily transferable to other clients; thus more costly

As my conclusion, User-centered design (UCD) is a general term for a philosophy and methods which focus on designing for and involving users in the design of computerized systems. The ways in which users participate can vary. At one end of the spectrum involvement may be relatively light; they may be consulted about their needs, observed and participate in usability testing. At the other end of the spectrum involvement can be intensive with users participating throughout the design process as partners in the design. A variety of methods have been developed to support UCD including usability testing, usability engineering, heuristic evaluation, discount evaluation and participatory design. Quick and dirty evaluations is also important in which ideas are taken to a few representative users for their feedback early in design. Involving users in design one way or
another has been shown to lead to developing more usable satisfying designs.

By WONG SOON HAN

Week 6: User Centered Design by DENYI

Definition of User Centered Design(UCD):

In broad terms, UCD is a design philosophy and a process in which the needs, wants, and limitations of end users of a product are given extensive attention at each stage of the design process. UCD can be characterized as a multi-stage problem solving process that requires both designers to analyze and foresee how users are likely to use a product and to test the validity of their assumptions with regards to user behavior in real world tests with actual users. Such testing is necessary as it is often very difficult for the designers of a product to understand intuitively what a first-time user of their design experiences, and what each user's learning curve may look like.

Difficulties of UCD:

- A good design doesn't always have a satisfied customer.

- Design is a collaboration between designers and customers.

- Design evolves.

- System will suffer if input is wrong.

The easiest method of involving users is TALKING TO THEM.

Week 6: User Centered Design

User centered design (UCD) is a process in information about the people who will use in this product. Focus on users through the planning, design and development of a product and solving problem as they come to interactions with things. UCD seeks to answer questions about users and their tasks and goals, then use the findings to drive development and design to improve on what user needs, wants.

UCD seeks to answer questions such as:

Who are the users of this 'thing'?
What are the users’ tasks and goals?
What are the users’ experience levels with this thing, and things like it?
What functions do the users need from this thing?
What information might the users need, and in what form do they need it?
How do users think this 'thing' should work?
How can the design of this ‘thing’ facilitate users' cognitive processes?

User Centered Design Process


Plan: Determine all activities needed and the necessary resources
Research: Before designing, understand the users' goals and tasks and the market needs
Design: Define the system from the user perspective
Adapt: Adapt based on need for changes discovered during development
Measure: Measure usability, which is comprised of effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction

Warawit Whangpakdi
1091102446

Week 6: User Centred Design

What is User Centred Design?

User Centered-Design (UCD) is a philosophy and a process. It is a philosophy that places the person (as opposed to the 'thing') at the center; it is a process that focuses on cognitive factors (such as perception, memory, learning, problem-solving, etc.) as they come into play during peoples' interactions with things.

UCD seeks to answer questions about users and their tasks and goals, then use the findings to drive development and design to improve on the user needs. User do not know what they want and therefore, we're there to help find what suits them best in order to gain an ergonomic design that best fit the targeted users.

UCD seeks to answer questions such as:

• Who are the users of this 'thing'?
• What are the users’ tasks and goals?
• What are the users’ experience levels with this thing, and things like it?
• What functions do the users need from this thing?
• What information might the users need, and in what form do they need it?
• How do users think this 'thing' should work?
• How can the design of this ‘thing’ facilitate users' cognitive processes?

UCD can improve the usability and usefulness of everything from "everyday things" (D. Norman) to software to information systems to processes. . . anything with which people interact. As such, User-Centered Design concerns itself with both usefulness and usability.

Even so, there are still a lot of complains and unsatisfactory from the users. Why is that so? Although the research is done based on the targeted users, not everyone is exactly the same. They may have different preferences as to how and it should look and work. For example if you design a game console and it's meant for boys to play but it's PINK in colour, do you think your game console would sell? Well, yes maybe it would but it definitely wouldn't be the in the top sale list although your game console design is the best of all kind.

There are also problems when interviewing users. The user may not give the best answer to you and some are shy to answer because they do not know what they want. Users are definitely not a designer. They just use your products and if they find it nice and comfortable to use, they might recommend it to their friends and family. The word of mouth is the one that make your product sell well but the process to do that isn't simple. You can also observe your user under natural condition and controlled condition to get the best result.

graphic design-Li chean

Graphic design
definition:art combination of image,picture and information.

-design image that can be communicate so it will it successfully interpret by others.
Example : A recognizable T-shirt of some portrait picture.

-interaction between you and the client everything must be clear and easily convey the informations directly to the client and can be recognizable when posted in public.

what can considered graphic design ?
*drawing
*painting
*illustration,
*photography
*computer generate images -example : ascii art
*design letterforms by making various of typefaces/typography

-can be found in :
 *movie credit
 *Tv-adds
 *books
 *magazine
 *menus
 *computer screen.

elements of successful graphic design:
inform and persuade,organise stimulate,locates,easy to identifies,attracts attention and provide pleasure when other seeing it.

-terms to attract people:
 *vibrant color
 * contrast color
 *special/unique design

To be successful and create unique graphic design that can be accept by the public,ones must know the basic rules of graphic design before breaking the rules to be unique.




 

Week 5: Graphic Design by DENYI

Definition of GRAPHIC DESIGN:

Graphic design is a creative process - most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form(printers, programmers, sign-makers, etc.) undertaken in order to convey a specific message(s) to a targeted audience. The term "graphic design" can also refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines that focus on visual communication and presentation. The field as a whole is also often referred to as Visual Communication or Communication Design. Various methods are used to create and combine words, symbols, and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages.

Graphic Design:

- informs

- persuades

- organizes

- stimulates

- locates

- identifies

- attracts attention

- provides pleasure

What do GRAPHIC DESIGNERS work with?

Graphic designers are people who work with:

- drawings

- paintings

- illustrations

- photographs

- computer-generated images

- letter-forms

- typefaces

- fonts

- movie credits

- advertisements

- magazines

- computer screens

*Before you break any rules, know them first.

Week 5: Graphic Design

Based on wikipedia, Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form (i.e., printers, programmers, signmakers, etc.) – undertaken in order to convey a specific message (or messages) to a targeted audience. The term "graphic design" can also refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines that focus on visual communication and presentation. The field as a whole is also often referred to as Visual Communication or Communication Design. Various methods are used to create and combine words, symbols, and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. A graphic designer may use typography, visual arts and page layout techniques to produce the final result. Graphic design often refers to both the process (designing) by which the communication is created and the products (designs) which are generated.

Common uses of graphic design include identity (logos and branding), web sites, publications (magazines, newspapers, and books), advertisements and product packaging. For example, a product package might include a logo or other artwork, organized text and pure design elements such as shapes and color which unify the piece. Composition is one of the most important features of graphic design, especially when using pre-existing materials or diverse elements.

In addition, use any visual medium at all-if you make a poster; type a letter; create a business logo, a magazine ad, or an album cover; even make a computer printout-you are using a form of visual communication called graphic design.

Graphic designers work with drawn, painted, photographed, or computer-generated images (pictures), but they also design the letterforms that make up various typefaces found in movie credits and TV ads; in books, magazines, and menus; and even on computer screens. Designers create, choose, and organize these elements-typography, images, and the so-called “white space” around them-to communicate a message. Graphic design is a part of your daily life. From humble things like gum wrappers to huge things like billboards to the T-shirt you're wearing, graphic design informs, persuades, organizes, stimulates, locates, identifies, attracts attention and provides pleasure.

Graphic design is a creative process that combines art and technology to communicate ideas. The designer works with a variety of communication tools in order to convey a message from a client to a particular audience. The main tools are image and typography.

Types of graphic design:

• Image-based design

• Type-based design

• Image and type design

• Symbols, logos and logotypes design

By WONG SOON HAN