Design for Usability; practice-oriented research for user-centered product design

Work. 2012:41 Suppl 1:1008-15. doi: 10.3233/WOR-2012-1010-1008.

Abstract

The Design for Usability project aims at improving the usability of electronic professional and consumer products by creating new methodology and methods for user-centred product development, which are feasible to apply in practice. The project was focused on 5 key areas: (i) design methodology, expanding the existing approach of scenario-based design to incorporate the interaction between product design, user characteristics, and user behaviour; (ii) company processes, barriers and enablers for usability in practice; (iii) user characteristics in relation to types of products and use-situations; (iv) usability decision-making; and (v) product impact on user behaviour. The project team developed methods and techniques in each of these areas to support the design of products with a high level of usability. This paper brings together and summarizes the findings.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Behavior
  • Cognition
  • Consumer Behavior*
  • Demography
  • Electronics / instrumentation*
  • Equipment Design / methods
  • Equipment Design / psychology
  • Ergonomics
  • Humans
  • Man-Machine Systems*
  • Personality