User-Centered Design – I can’t even remember when I first heard this term but undoubtedly it was during my 4 years of tenure in UET. I belong to a design field and these design terminologies and approaches are familiar to me. But down the road, I have been led to believe that only getting ‘familiar’ with the terms is not sufficient.
This notion dawned upon me during one of the discussions that I have happened to be a part of luckily, exploring certain product/system case studies around the globe, the focal point being the ‘User-centered design approach’.
So what is a User-Centered Design Anyway?
“User-centered design (UCD) is an iterative design process in which designers and other stakeholders focus on the users and their needs in each phase of the design process. UCD calls for involving users throughout the design process via a variety of research and design techniques so as to create highly usable and accessible products for them.”
Definition of user-centered design (UCD) by the Interaction Design Foundation
So the instinct to rummage around for User-Centered Design Products took me to Google and I started looking high and low, reading case studies and watching videos. Now this voyage of me proved to very useful and it landed me on some of the brilliant examples of products that incorporate User-Centered Design Approach in their Design Thinking technique.
SCEWO self-balancing wheelchair is one of the brilliant precedents that I have come across. A bunch of entrepreneurs have come up with this amazing product particularly for people with disabilities. This wheelchair will take them up and down the stairs safely. This product is of paramount importance in terms of User-Centered Design.
“Our goal is to combine the new technologies and an aesthetic design to develop a new generation wheelchair. It will give back enjoyable and flexible mobility to those in need and lets them engage wherever life takes them”.
Says ETH Zurich team
Another company which goes by the name ‘Cassit’ work supremely in designing casts for Orthopedics, Rehabilitation and Emergency care. Their aim is to make their products easy-to-use for everyone around the world by introducing UCD (User-Centered design) and C2C (reusable and recyclable) approaches in their design.
Cambridge Consultants also offers another example of UCD. Their product ‘Aalto’ is a self-injection device that is particularly designed for people with underlying chronic diseases. This is considered to a beautiful example of UCD. Their motto is:
“Calmly delivering a healthy, active lifestyle”
Apart from these examples, a vast number of User-Centered Design systems are also incorporated in parks, restaurants and malls around the world assisting the needy people getting the full experience of the modern world.
The field of product design is very vast with absolute different variety emerging every day. All around the world people have been coming up with brilliant innovative ideas incorporating sustainable design, user-centered design, User-Interface design and human-centered design approaches. Prodigious work is being done with every passing day and exceptional designs are coming forth. Let’s wait and watch what the future holds for us.
Tools & Technology in Art Education 