4-Shelby Stephens

User-Centered Focus Questioned

A common misconception in the designing process is that the user is always right. Now, this may sound odd but let me explain. The projects we have focused on so far in the class have only required that we test one or two users. In reality for a design to be a success, thousands of people must be tested (possibly slight exaggeration).

The design should focus on the mission or the goal of the company. Suppose a user or two requests a certain feature, should the feature become an immediate addition? No, it should not. The reasoning behind this is that what is useful or good for a small group of users does not necessarily benefit all users as a whole. The addition/feature could become a distraction from the goal of the company and could result in the loss of users.

As humans, we adapt. We adapt to changes in our daily lives and eventually new technologies. A good example from the book are Apple products. They revolutionized our phone and other experiences without focusing on the user but rather the activity. The user will adapt to changes that are given to them. In creating a design, focus on the situation and not the person; focus on the personality in a situation.

For project two, instead of focusing on the user and their actions we could have focused more on the situation. We could have observed the environment in which the user exercised. The situation would vary from person to person, at home to the gym. A better approach for the project might have included different environments and situations in which the user exercised. This would have allowed us to gather a lot of data to better accommodate many people rather than just one.