The concept of “user-centered” or “human-centered” design is not exactly new. In fact, most definitions of design include some reference to crafting things that people use. However, as an antidote to the one-size-fits-all, mass production age of 19th and 20th century design, it has become important to re-emphasize the centrality of users to the process. Design that is sensitive to and based on people’s needs and patterns of behavior will be good design. As such, the mode of Know People, with its focus on empathy, observation, personal engagement, and problem solving, is an indispensable phase of the design process.
KNOW PEOPLEmindsets
Knowing people is about gaining an empathic understanding of people’s thoughts, feelings, and needs by listening, observing, interacting, and analyzing. Immersing yourself in people’s daily lives and keenly listening to their stories can reveal very valuable insights, sometimes quite surprising and nonobvious. To get to such valuable insights we should focus on everything that people do, say, and think; we should be in the mindset to deeply understand people’s activities, needs, motivations, and overall experiences, just as well as we study our products when we do a product development project. We should be on ...
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