User Centered Design (UCD)
The process through which Foviance ensures the goals of the business and of the user or customer are taken in to account when developing a website and that the end result delivers the optimum performance.
User Centered Design UCD focuses specifically on the following areas:
- Business goals, funding, politics, culture, technology, resources and constraints
- Users – Audience, tasks, needs, information seeking behaviour, experience
- Site & Content – Documents/data types, content objects, volume, existing structure
- Familiarisation – Understand current site
The process is fixed; techniques (e.g. research) are flexible but we would expect the process to be broadly as follows:
- Planning meeting
Review objectives, agree approach, timescales, roles & responsibilities, etc,
At this stage we would also expect to establish a benchmark of current performance. If an accurate return on investment is to be calculated then the baseline needs to be established. This is often overlooked and a key value stage as it should also provide quantitative data about existing user journeys and potential pain points and wins.
- Stakeholder Interviews and User Workshop
- Establish vision, direction and objectives
- Identify user requirements
Workshops will be run with various users to define what type of content is required and to determine if existing content should be kept or removed. This research will be the basis for the definition and production of an online strategy that is based on both user and business requirements.
User Personas & Scenarios Development of typical user profiles and intentions
Concept Modelling A concept model shows main groups of content and functionality and the relationships between them. It allows design team to explore and improve the ‘big idea’ and how it balances the user needs, business needs and technical constraints. A concept model is the first step towards a site map. Agreeing a concept model before designing the sitemap reduces project risk.
Card Sorting Exercise to determine groupings and labelling
Site Map Development of Site map which describes structure and navigation
Wireframe Prototype Development
Translation of the Site map into a mock-up of the site
Development into a “working” model
Review with Stakeholders
Usability Evaluation
Update Prototype
Apply findings of Usability Report
Review with Stakeholders (may be iterative)
Accessibility testing
After the graphic design (colours, fonts, branding) and on the final website or before development (coding)
Ensure that accessibility criteria have been followed.
Accessibility level compliance (WAI)