What makes a good product design? Most people will point towards the aesthetics and perceived intuitiveness that need to be inherent to a product’s design. However, a lot more is needed to really guarantee a functional product.
Companies often have to learn the hard way that relying on design skills alone far from guarantees a highly functional product. Having a good eye and strong set of design skills is of course hugely advantageous when designing products and experiences, but if you rely on those alone, there is a good chance that the flows you create will turn out to be more problematic for your users than expected.
The simple reason for this -as any experienced product designer will tell you- is that you cannot design products and experiences based on intuition and assumptions alone. Even if you do everything by the book and check every single box with regards to the fundamentals of good visual design, you will need to involve your users in the design process. Your users hold the answers to your most important questions and involving them in the design process is the ultimate way to ensure a great user experience and a product that they can be successful with.
That’s where user-centered design comes in. Being user-centric in your design ensures that your product’s function is validated by the end user – every step along the way. That way, when it comes time to launch, you know that your product not only fulfills a very specific need but that it does so effectively.
It’s fair to say that centering your design around your users is the only way to ensure your product succeeds in a competitive marketplace.
What is user-centered design?
User-centered design (UCD) puts users at the heart of the design process. Every process that goes into new product development must consider the user first – their needs, objectives, and feedback.
Designers who apply this philosophy are empowered to create products that form unique connections with the communities they serve. After all, without users, what’s the point of your product?
“Do you User-centered design definition in a sentence: User-centered design (UCD) is an iterative design process in which designers focus on the users and their needs in each phase of the design process.”
With UCD, your users are involved in every step of the design process. This way, you can be sure that your product is effectively fulfilling its purpose; not just in what value it offers the user, but also in how it offers that value to the user. A user-centered approach to design helps ensure that your product isn’t just another generic solution that will inevitably get discarded when something better comes along. It ensures clear value, user-friendliness and a positive user experience. The key to being truly user-centric is that you not only loop in your users while designing a solution, but that you continuously collect feedback and iterate on your designs accordingly; which helps future-proof your product and ensure it stays relevant.
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