Human-centered design
Human-centered design is a way of practicing design underpinned by the philosophy of Donald A. Norman (The Design of Everyday Things, Emotional Design…) that is based around how humans can, want, or need to live, rather than forcing humans to change how they live to accommodate the design.

The purpose of practicing with a human-centered design approach is to maximize every aspect of the design by using the findings from the following human-centered design questions:

• Who are they users of the design?
• What are the users’ tasks and goals?
• What are the users’ experience levels with the design, and designs like it?
• What functions do the users require from the design?
• What information might the users need, and in what form do they need it?
• How do users of the design think it should work?

Human-centered design thinking can extend to systems of designs at the largest scale to how something functions. One of the greatest challenges designers face today is to practice human-centered design that can also appeal to the user in an emotional and aesthetic sense as well.

When practiced properly, human-centered design delivers experiences. Products fulfill needs, experiences satisfy desires. By connecting with your customers or prospects on an emotional level you speak to what matters in their lives. Human-centered design offers solutions that will make a user smile, sigh or feel sated. In a nutshell here’s what it comes down to: show them that you “get them” and they will take the time to get to know you.

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Interaction design (IxD)
IxD is a design discipline focused on the shaping of interactive products and services that stems from the design principles of Human-computer interaction (HCI). In interaction design, user research and design with an emphasis on user goals and experience are integral in evaluating the success of the design.

As opposed to a designer who may focus on the look and feel of a product, service or technology such as a mobile device, an interaction designer is interested on defining the behavior of that device including any systems the user may interact with such as the screen interface or menu system. The objective of the interaction designer is to simplify the experience for the user of the product by reducing the learning curve: increasing accuracy and efficiency within certain tasks without diminishing the usefulness of the product.

Interaction design is not limited to technological systems. It may be applied to the development of all offerings such as services or events. For an excellent online, peer-written and reviewed IxD resource, check out Boxes and Arrows.

So next time someone introduces him or herself to you as an interaction designer, ask them to give you their opinion on the design of your cell phone—and be prepared for a 10-minute dissertation.

Usability
Often usability refers to methods for improving ease-of-use during the design process. It is also the study of the principles behind an object’s perceived efficiency or elegance. The qualitative attributes which define an object, interface, device or document and the assessment of how easy they are to use and qualify them as actually being “useful.”

The preferred method for ensuring usability is to test actual users on some aspect of the working system. The most basic and widely known method for studying the usability of something is called user testing.

This kind of testing or research is also a great way to ensure your own assumptions don’t get in the way. Better yet, some of the best design strategies will come directly from the users themselves.

Of course, usability research doesn’t come without some rules and risks. Asking your brother-in-law and the guy in the cubicle next to you doesn’t qualify as research. It must be conducted on a large enough sample of people that matter, ideally your target audience, to generate reliable findings. And because there’s nothing people enjoying giving more than their opinions, be prepared to do some sifting in search of the consistent and persistent perspectives that will ultimately provide the foundation for a successful design strategy.

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