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Topic outline

 

  • Time: 12 hours
    Level: Introductory

 
 

Introduction

  • Introduction Resource
  • Designed products surround us all and range from bus tickets to buildings. One of the primary considerations in all fields of design is ‘usability’ and, increasingly, the phenomenon of ‘user-centred design’....
 

2 People-centred designing

  • 2 People-centred designing Resource
  • Unlike the toaster shown above, products should be user friendly. This applies to the cars we drive, the tools we use and the various computer devices we depend on to access information daily. Sadly,...
 

3 New products – old failings

  • 3 New products – old failings Resource
  • This section introduces product ‘usability’. It offers a case study of a vegetable peeler to illustrate how usability issues exist alongside other important concerns in the product development process....
 

4 Designing for users

  • 4 Designing for users Resource
  • This section aims to develop your awareness of weaknesses in product designs, from the perspectives of usability and the variability in user populations, and to consider the opportunities for product design...
 

5 Who are the users?

  • 5 Who are the users? Resource
  • This section reveals that ‘users’ can include a wide variety of people – not just the final purchasers or consumers of a product. The section also makes the case for strong user representation in the design...
 

6 Why not design for the ‘average’ user

 

7 Inclusive design

 

8 Ergonomics and human factors

  • 8 Ergonomics and human factors Resource
  • This section discusses designing for human capabilities and limitations. It introduces the study of ergonomics which can offer general guidelines as well as specific suggestions for good, user-centred...
 

9 Interaction design

  • Making usable products Resource
  • This section reveals that many modern products need to usable by our minds as much as our bodies. Products need to be understandable, and present information and feedback in meaningful ways.
 

10 User research techniques

  • User trip Resource
  • This section introduces a simple method of investigating product use. Even such simple methods can provide useful information to guide product redesign and new product development.
 

11 User research techniques: observing users

 

12 Designing for pleasure

  • The four pleasures Resource
  • In consumerist societies, buying, using and displaying products has come to represent a certain type of pleasure. This pleasure principle has to be acknowledged in new product development and design. The...
 

13 The voice of the customer

  • Gathering data Resource
  • In this section I will review some of the approaches and methods used by companies for identifying and exploiting marketing opportunities.
 

14 Products for markets

  • 14 Products for markets Resource
  • Japanese car companies came to dominate in many countries in the 1980s, and this was in part attributable to their marketing research and emphasis on designing products for particular market segments....
 

15 Summary

  • 15 Summary Resource
  • Products that display some type of human interaction acknowledge that human beings have a physical form. Our human form gives rise to design restrictions and limitations. Our physical forms differ considerably...
 

References and Acknowledgements

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