Humane Interface, The: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems

1-3. Human-Centered Design and User-Centered Design

We have overcomplicated the software and forgotten the primary objective.

—Jim and Sandra Sundfors

Not only interface designers but also managers in the electronics and computer industries understand the need for user- or customer-centered design. The first step in meeting this need is to get to know your users, but in commercial practice, getting to know the users usually consists of listening to task domain experts. Domain experts often know the parameters and details of the problem to be solved, but their formal expertise does not usually extend to questions of human psychology. Although users' task-related needs differ, your user population shares many common mental attributes. Before exploring ...