A user-centred product design has become a key aspect when developing software. With the rise of User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) as fields of study in the last decade, companies started to put people at the centre of design thinking to generate better results.

Among the benefits of a user-centred product design, businesses may have a higher rate of satisfied users, an increased market share and reduced costs.

In this article, we’ll review what user-centred design is, why it is important, the key principles of this practice and the process of creating a platform with users in the centre.

 

What is user-centred product design?

This approach to the design and development process focuses on users and makes sure that the product will meet the customer’s needs.

With a user-centred product design, platforms are built custom-tailored according to users’ requirements and other features they don’t know they need. In this way, software becomes more usable and accessible, while it provides a more positive experience to users.

 

Why is user-centred design important?

From websites to mobile apps and other kinds of digital products, user-centred product design has several advantages and companies are adopting this approach to provide a better user experience.

This approach is, therefore, important, because it helps to create a product that is easy to use and understand, as well as it solves most of the user’s problems while using software.

In addition, with a user-centred design, a product may become more desirable, given it will have a positive effect on the person who is using it. It may also be more inclusive, as it is developed with people with disabilities in mind.

When a digital product is developed with the user in the centre of the picture, it easily achieves its purpose and ends up meeting the business goals.

User-centred product design may help reduce development costs, given that issues are addressed earlier in the process and mitigated before something, in fact, fails. And, if a product is developed with the user in mind, it has more chances to have more people making use of it.

With this, the company that holds the project might get an increased market share and bring more revenue.

 

User-centred product design – The principles and the process

In user-centred product design, although the process is iterative, companies and teams usually follow certain principles and steps to make sure the digital project achieves the goals set for it.

From understanding the users’ needs to using clean and clear language, the key principles guide UX / UI designers towards the right process and get the digital product ready for a successful launch.

 

The user-centred product design’s key principles

In order to incorporate this design and development approach, companies and teams should know the main principles of user-centred design. These principles make sure that the user’s needs are in the minds of the creators.

To create an easy-to-understand and accessible, companies should work according to the following principles:

1. Design for users and their chores – Understanding the user’s needs and issues is key to building software that facilitates this interaction.
2. Ensure consistency throughout the interface – Thinking about all the elements as part of something bigger helps create a platform that is predictable and coherent.
3. Use simple language – Direct and clear communication helps direct users to the right places, making the product more intuitive.
4. Solve a problem without rushing to find solutions – Before jumping to a quick fix of a problem, teams should conduct deep research and analysis of the problem itself, taking into consideration factors like economy, culture, politics, and societal norms.
5. Understand elements as part of a system – Teams should acknowledge design elements as holistic and connected, therefore, every element affects the others.

 

Key steps for user-centred product design’s iterative process

Although it has a logical methodology, user-centred product design is not linear or continuous. In this sense, we can point out that this process is repetitive, and designers might need to return to certain tasks and stages, rethink them and perfect them to better fit the user’s needs.

The different steps of this methodology may differ from team to team, but they may also guide them towards a winning process:

1. Identify the context in which the software will be used and question the conditions people will use it.
2. Ask for business requirements and the goals set for the users so that the platform is developed efficiently.
3. Build a general concept, then a low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototype and polish the edges to meet the user’s needs as the project goes forward until the team has a product ready to launch.
4. Test the software to find any vulnerabilities in the design and to make sure it is effective in meeting the users’ needs and achieving the company’s goals.
5. Launch the product and collect feedback from users to make improvements whenever necessary.

 

Conclusion

User-centred product design is utterly important to attract more visitors to a website, make people download an app, and draw users to work with software.

This approach helps make sure that the digital products developed are useful and usable, as well as accessible to most people. With this, users are more likely to enjoy working with it, businesses are more likely to increase their market share and reduce their development costs.