Talk:User-centered design

This page was blanked soon after creation by its creator, but I can't honestly see any problem with the info, although the article could possibly be moved to a better name. It's not copyvio as far as I can tell. -- Graham :) 23:06, 4 Mar 2004 (UTC)

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should this page have a link to human-centered computing for contrast?

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The following paragraph needs work : "The chief difference from other interface design philosophies is that user-centered design tries to bend and structure the functioning of a user interface around how people can, want or need to work, rather than the opposite way around."

It isn't at all clear what the phrase "rather than the opposite way around" means here : what is the opposite of "tries to bend and structure the functioning of a user interface around how people can, want or need to work" - NOT structure the interface around how people need to work? -- Agreed this is awkward and a bit unclear. How about something simpler like "The chief difference from other interface design philosophies is that user-centered design tries to structure a user interface around how people naturally work, rather than requiring users to learn how the interface works." - BMcCarthy 00:03, 20 November 2006 (UTC) (I think I got the time right!)

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The following paragraph could be expanded: "While user-centered design is often viewed as being focused on the development of computer and paper interfaces, the field has a much wider application. The design philosophy has been applied to a diverse range of user interactions, from car dashboards to service processes (such as the end-to-end experience of visiting a restaurant, including interactions such as being seated, choosing a meal, ordering food, paying the bill etc).

I'd like to suggest appending something like: "In product design, this is sometimes referred to as the "out of the box experience," referring to all tasks the user must complete from first opening the box the product is shipped in, through unpacking, reading the directions, assembly, first use and continuing use." In expanding this paragraph, I might also consider removing the parentheses around the restaurant example. - BMcCarthy 00:09, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

External Links

The External Links section is not for self-promotion. See Wikipedia:External Links Guide --Ronz 14:56, 7 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Changing focus citations?

The focus section, though interesting, ignores the very origins of user-centered design in the 80s. I marked it with "citation needed", but figure the "last decade" phrase should just be removed. I certainly don't know of any shift in thinking or application, though I see people new to the field asserting that they are making this shift without knowledge that this type of perspective has always existed. --Ronz 14:58, 27 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Someone removed the "citation needed", so I removed all reference to any supposed change in focus. --Ronz 15:42, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]