As UI/UX designers, one of the first things we think about when we create a product is: “What problem does it solve for the user?”.
The reality is that to really create a user-friendly interface and user experience, we must focus on our users. Focus on their needs. Their behaviors. Their pain points. This is how you can guarantee you can design a personalized product and truly deliver what they want.
Think about your favorite product or design! Whether it is an app, a website, or even your iPhone or work coffee machine. How do these products solve your specific needs? And most importantly, how do they do it so well?
The answer is simple: user-centered design. Every successful product or company that has implemented a user-centered innovation approach ensures that every decision is completely rooted in a deep understanding of their target audience. And if you can achieve that, best believe that it will be a game changer for you and your company.
So, let’s dive into what user-centered design is and how you can also put it into practice. This way, you can begin designing your product and sell it to a bigger audience than you could imagine.
User-centered design (UCD) refers to a collection of design techniques that focus on placing our users at the core of everything we do. Whether it is designing the homepage or the Sign-Up section, every phase of the design process involves our users’ needs, requirements, feedback, and so on.
User-Centered Design vs Human-Centered Design
As product designers, we might ask ourselves: “But is user-centered design and human-centered design the same?”. Well, these two might be used interchangeably, and they might even seem the same. But there is one aspect that makes the whole difference. In simple words, yes – all users are humans. However, remember that not all humans are also your users. However, that might be the dream! For this reason, user-centered design represents an in-depth analysis of your users – your target market.
A user-centered design approach is more than general characteristics (such as age, gender, location, and so on). This is about analyzing specific patterns and personal habits – a deep research on their preferences. This way, we can develop a design that solves their needs.
But yes, when we think of user-centered design, we immediately assume it’s obvious. We make products for well… our users. So, how would we even develop a product that is not user-centered?
The truth is that as UI/UX designers, many biases can appear and accidentally steer us away from our initial thought process. And especially from what our users actually want. Let’s face it – we all have personal opinions, money-related goals, or maybe even general reluctance to embrace change. All of these aspects can easily influence our perception of what our UI/UX design should be.
“A user interface is well-designed when the program behaves exactly how the user thought it would.” – Joel Spolsky, creator of Trello.
And it’s true! If a UI UX design is user-friendly and intuitive, our users will immediately feel natural when interacting with our product. But to achieve this, we must understand completely how they behave and what “natural” means to them.
There are multiple methods by which you can collect feedback to create a user-centered product. For example, focus groups, participatory design, interviews, etc. But all these will help you get a better understanding of what your audience actually wants. Let’s face it – we all have personal opinions, money-related goals, or maybe even general reluctance to embrace change. All of these aspects can easily influence our perception of what our UI/UX design should be.
A user-centered design approach is more than general characteristics (such as age, gender, location, and so on). This is about analyzing specific patterns and personal habits – a deep research on their preferences. This way, we can develop a design that solves their needs.
In the product design process, there are five principles that will help you implement a user-centered design approach:
- Early and active involvement of your users in every step of the design cycle
- Understand the context of your users and their requirements
- Consistently gather, analyze, and integrate user feedback into the product design process
- Adopt a user-centric approach in both product design and the delivery stage
- Implement an iterative design process with an ongoing aim to enhance the user experience (UX)
And it makes sense – if you start making changes late, it might cost five times more than if you had implemented it in the first place. So, remember! Feedback is necessary – especially when it comes from your end-users. Because, after all, a user-centered design ensures that your product is precisely what your users want. And bonus points if it’s from the beginning!
There are multiple methods by which you can collect feedback to create a user-centered product. For example, focus groups, participatory design, interviews, etc. But all these will help you get a better understanding of what your audience actually wants:
- Persona: Who are you trying to reach? In what direction do you want to go? Define the group of people you want to target. Analyze their behavior, goals, preferences, needs, pain points, etc. What are the same patterns?
- Scenario: Identify how your product would integrate into your user’s daily life. This is where you can understand how to make your product as natural as possible.
- Use Case: This represents the steps your user must take to use your product.
We at uinkits understand the importance of inputs in great user experiences and creating amazing UI designs. That’s why we’ve developed a Figma UI Kit with design components that include these essential UI elements that enable you to design intuitive and user-friendly interfaces effortlessly.
“You press the button, we do the rest,” – Kodak.
Inspired by this iconic tagline from Kodak, we believe in simplifying the design process for you. Our Figma UI Kit, uinkits, is a complete design system with UI components that allows you, as a UI UX designer, to create your products as quickly as pressing a button.
Our design system includes components, icons, variables, cards, buttons, and everything you need for your design process. All you have to do is take your UI design component needed, and you’re ready to use it in your designs.
