WHAT IS HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN?

The process of designing marketable products in past usually involved the creation of a plan then building it and hoping that customers would be willing to purchase it and use it.

This method usually didn't work since the product didn't address the issues of the consumer or they wasted their money and time with features that consumers didn't actually have.

Businesses and designers are more often employing a technique called human-centered design in order to avoid this outcome (HCD).

HCD is a method of making experiences that are beneficial to individuals. The purpose in the HCD approach is create solutions with the people who are likely to benefit the most. The HCD approach should include the target users in the development of solutions that increase their lives.

This article we'll learn more about how HCD is, the reasons it is crucial and the most important HCD strategies and concepts designers can use to design better products.

What Exactly Is Human-Centered Design?

The concept behind "HCD" involves the ability to create and improve products and services that respond to issues or needs which improve human wellbeing improve user experience and reduce stress or discomfort for users.

Contrary to using the latest technology and cognitive computation to develop the idea or create a product, the process of designing involves human thought and understanding throughout the process of problem-solving.

While HCD is typically utilized to improve or address issues within the wellness and health sector however, it is rapidly gaining recognition as a method of reviewing and improving the technology we utilize in our daily lives.

In reality, companies who focus on design outdo those that are based on design outperform S&P Index on a year-to-year basis.

A tool for investing called The Design Value Index shows that businesses that integrate thought-provoking design into their business strategies outperform the competition by up to 228 percent..

Three components are the basis of HCD:

1. Empathy

Designers should be genuinely concerned about the people who use the products they design. Engage with the community of users who use the products or services they design in order to create empathy.

2. Creativity

To address the issues of users, organizations and their designers have to be innovative.

3. Business requirements

Making your invention an effective development is essential.

Human-Centered Design Process

Before we look at the ways in which it can be utilized to produce better products, let's take a look into HCD. HCD process.

The process puts actual people at the forefront of research and research with the intention of generating an answer, which could be a system, product or service for an actual problem or gap in the industry that can enhance the lives of people everywhere.

The main goal for this HCD procedure is to make a an effect that lasts on the intended audience or community for whom the product was created.

The various phases in HCD's phases HCD process were designed by IDEO the world-renowned design firm that assisted Apple develop their the first mouse computer that was known as the Palm Pilot in 1998. It also helped develop other durable and successful products.

HCD Process

Ideation, inspiration and execution comprise the three stages.

The whole process involves creating empathy for a targeted market or a gap in the market for consumers in addition to developing specific ways in which the solution can best help real consumers, and then putting the prototype into practice.

To create the perfect product or solution that has a positive impact on a particular market or group the process of design that is human-centered can also draw inspiration from research that is participatory and take real-time input from the end-user into consideration.

The testing or validation phase is also an important stage in the process of innovation because it ensures that the general public will not simply accept a novel idea or product , but people who use it will actually live happier lives.

The 3 Phases of the Human-Centered Design Process

1. Inspiration

This initial stage is dedicated to collecting feedback from clients. It's time to determine what your clients really want instead of creating products based on your assumptions about what they would like.

Empathy, which is the capacity to be able to recognize another's emotions and experiences is essential to be able to perform the above stage.

To discover what products your customers are currently using, the motives and the ways they're using them and the issues they're trying solve, you should be in their shoes and ask them questions.

Your target audience can be analyzed by using a variety of methods. For instance, you might design a survey submission form for a particular product on your website pages or, like Apple can provides surveys to users by emails.

Here's an illustration of how one of the NPS Apple surveys is designed:

You can ask questions , such as:

What made you decide to purchase this product? What problem did you want to resolve?

What other options did you consider in making your decision?

What made you pick this particular item over the other alternatives that are available?

You'll start coming up with fresh, innovative ideas with every response. Input as many as you can can help you discover trends, patterns and discomfort points which will assist you in creating the ideal item or product.

If you're struggling to get customers to fill out the survey, think about offering incentives, such as 20 percent discount on their purchase, or an opportunity to play a lottery for the gift of a free prize.

You may conduct the focus group instead of conducting a survey if satisfied with the results of surveys. It is possible to discover issues customers face if you frequently talk to them by emails or phone calls.

After conducting an analysis of your markets, you should identify every issue, big and small your target market has to face within the limits of your knowledge or products. Consider the most pressing issues your customers face and think about how your product or service could be improved to tackle the issues.

2. Ideation

The initial inspiration phase will lead you to the next phase which is ideation. Based on the data you received, you'll want to come up with numerous ideas possible during this stage.

When coming up with ideas, bear in your mind that there aren't any negatives. The process can be a disaster if you don't consider the requirements of your employees. This is when you discover possibilities and then create low- and high-quality prototypes.

A group brainstorming session is the best method of getting things moving. Help your team consider problems from the perspective from the perspective of the customer. The primary goal is to collaborate to create the concept of one-in-a-million.

Take a look at the following methods to help you create an effective and stimulating brainstorming session.

1. Inspire everyone who is on the front line to join in

The most effective way to discover and invent is to allow everybody to share their thoughts and offer suggestions.

Co-creation is among the advantages of design that is centered on the user. The process of co-creation encourages innovative human-centric thinking and provides everyone in your team an impression of belonging and importance.

2. The suggestions list

It is the time to note down on post-its, and attach everything you've got to the wall of your workplace that includes the expectations of your customers, rivals strategies, problems questions, and responses.

Let your team explore the work space at their own pace and analyze the data and then apply the information to develop new ideas.

Keep in mind the purpose of this stage is to determine the best problem you can solve with creativity.

3. Implementation

The introduction of the optimal solution to market is the final step. Before anything else, you need to be thinking about the places and ways your clients would like to be marketed.

The bottom line is that attempt to imagine yourself in the customers' position prior to marketing to them. If you were in their shoes what would you like to know more regarding this item?

Yet, when you are making your product or service accessible to a wider public you should continue asking for and analyzing comments.

Because the requirements and needs of your clients will change over time The process of iteration should never cease. It is important to adjust to be able to meet their needs.

A human-centric approach to development ensures that you are able to innovate continuously and find a product that is market-ready (or an item that meets an overwhelming market demand).

You'll have to create an effective marketing strategy in order to advertise your products as a solution to a problem that is real because it is based around the issues of your market.

In addition, you might be thinking about collaboration with other companies who offer related items or solutions to the exact same customer. You can provide the client with a greater range of solutions through a partnership with an organization.

Human-Centered Design in Action: How It Is Used to Create Better Products

Once you're familiar with the basics of what HCD is what it is, how it operates and the three phases it operates in Let's look at HCD in action. We'll look at how it can be employed to make better products.

1. Colgate Toothbrush

An excellent example of design that is human-centric is the Colgate-Palmolive toothbrushcalled Acti-Brush that was a breakthrough in the 90s.

The 1990s were a time when Colgate had a tough time with brushes that were electric. But, they lost control over the marketplace. Based on their market study, their most popular customers were young people looking for a more compact toothbrush.

Their research led to the solution that took the "Acti-Brush" from the fourth position to the first position.

To develop the new design of a toothbrush the company reached out to Altitude an design consultancy company that specializes in human-centric designs.

After a thorough examination of the market they were targeting after which the Altitude team developed The Motion, a brand new, smaller, more powerful brush that has rotating heads and an arching neck.

If the design could satisfy the needs of the customer was the main issue of the entire product, from the surface to the performance.

The Motion was successful because it met the user's desires for a high-performance small, lightweight toothbrush that market had not been able to do before.

2. Spotify

We shouldn't forget music streaming whenever we talk about the human-centered approach to design, and ways it can be utilized to design better products.

Spotify changed the way we work in the industry and changed the way we consume and listen to music. While we may not have noticed the fact that everyone needed it for a long time.

It's one of the very first streaming platforms to allow users to download, stream and listen to music, instead of purchasing it. With Spotify today, users are no longer required to purchase tracks at $0.99 and $1.99.

With a monthly subscription plan which gives unlimited access to millions of tracks, customers can look up and play any track.

In recognizing their customers struggling to pay for music from multiple different sources Spotify has come to a solution that works. A few people are even willing to pay more for the specialized and beneficial service.

In addition, as a response to the demands of customers, Spotify decided to replace " Behind the Lyrics" (powered by Genius) by automatically generated live-time lyrics (a option offered by the company that provides lyrics Musixmatch) and it's one of the best examples of design that is human-centered.

Thanks to the Musixmatch feature that is now available, you can listen to lyrics by simply swiping up from the screen that plays Now Playing on your mobile device. Image Source: XDA Developers

Customers have been vocal about their displeasure with this service for a long time, mainly because Apple Music, Spotify's main competitor, was able to provide lyrics at the start.

In terms of creating customized playlists, finding suggested podcasts, and presenting a simple, but elegant experience for users, Spotify continues to be the most effective.

Spotify has been successful because it understood its users' difficulties in paying for music across many sources, and then coming up with a an effective solution.

3. Fitbit

The Fitbit is an excellent example of a product designed with the user in mind.

Before the advent of modern fitness trackers, people were required to estimate the number of calories they consumed every day to figure out the drive to keep going. This method of estimation is not reliable.

The introduction of devices such as Fitbit is among the best examples in the field of HCD and how it can be utilized to develop more efficient products.

The fitness tracker's creators understood people's challenges in tracking and achieving their fitness goals, and suggested a feasible alternative. It's user-friendly and displays the user the amount of calories they've consumed, encouraging the user to get more exercise.

The participants are encouraged to continue their journey through tools like setting personal goals tracking and recording activities as well as the possibility to take part in fitness competitions. Fitbit also offers additional data related to health, like the rate of pulse, temperature of the skin oxygen levels, the rate of breathing.

Making a service or product that is visually pleasing and practical is essential however, designers must also be able be mindful of in the customer's needs into consideration.

A product will be more appealing to buyers due to the care given to the design for user experience. If a product offers bad user experience especially ones that encourage habit formation, the purpose is less efficient.

4. Venmo

Another innovation in human-centered design can be seen in Venmo.

It was the Venmo app was launched in 2009 when Iqram Magdon-Ismail who was one of the founders and co-founders of Venmo lost his wallet while they (Andrew Kortina as well as Iqram Magdon-Ismail) were in New York City in 2009.

After this trip Iqram handed Andrew an amount for Andrew's part of the expenses and they both considered the lack of a modern method of conversion that could be achieved at the push of an app on the smartphone.

Take into consideration how difficult it might be to make a payment to someone else. Gather cash, present it in person, then write an e-check and send it or give it to them (which they will be able to deposit). Paypal can be difficult; furthermore, bank-to bank transfers are complicated in the US as opposed to Europe.

The people who created Venmo faced a problem that required to be resolved So they developed an answer that others could also benefit from.

The initial Version of technology worked via SMS and permitted texts to be exchanged by way of money. The Venmo app was introduced in the latter part of 2010 and had social features and a cost-free method to swap money.

The creators showed how easy performing artists could trade items and songs during live performances, and teens to give a friend a refund for lunch at an adjacent food truck.

Venmo is a company Paypal bought at the end of 2013 to pay $880 million is now able to facilitate seamless transactions between customers and businesses.

Because of its human-centric concept, Venmo has enjoyed considerable increase in its income over the past two years. For 2021 alone, Venmo earned nearly $800 million which is which is an increase of 88% over the year 2020.

Bottom Line

We hope that the knowledge provided in this article will allow you to grasp the concept of design that is human-centered and the ways it can be utilized to design better products.

Incredibly, a large portion of design that helps us enjoy the experience of living is based on the human. This approach is designed to improve user experience and reduce the gap between goods and consumers.

Thinking about the needs of the people in mind could be advantageous. It is also more likely to come up with solutions that meet their requirements by understanding the needs of consumers and their issues.

Designing a product keeping the requirements of the consumer in mind is vital to making it practical, desirable as well as useful.

In conclusion, here are some of the things you can learn from other companies like web design company in Bangladesh that have embraced human-centered design practices:

• The real issue is solved
• Maintain simplicity
• Actively engage your audience
• Always ensure you are delivering worth