Calgary Web Designer Jenn Armour | Info Architecture + User Centric Web Design + Online Marketing + Social Media + Ideas

User-Centered Planning

// January 15th, 2009 // Design, Usability

This union between applied psychology and usability is becoming more common in the corporate world, and it is the very essence of providing a user-centered product. Heuristics and error prevention are wonderful tools to use in web development, but they do not ask or answer the essential questions of human behavior.

Is your application fun to use, is it easy to figure out, does it frustrate the user, or does it aid him/her in accomplishing something desirable? How does a user feel when using this site? At ease or infuriated? Indifferent or engaged?  Further questions could run like this:

• What is the user trying to accomplish?
• What are the user’s objectives, needs, wants?
• Who are the primary user’s?
• How do they behave in normal life? 

User-Centered Design cuts costs and increases user satisfaction and productivity

Some Documents

1. Pre-Planning Questions for New Web Initiatives or Web Re-Design
2. User Experience Design Process

Even when dealing with small businesses doing pre-production planning, investigation and strategy is highly necessary for a successful web initiative. It is up to designer’s, developer’s, and team leads (even if it only a one person job) to take this responsibility with clients.

Interesting Resources

Applied Psychology to the Design of Halo 3
Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklists
Product Experience Strategy and Design
King of Web Usability