“User-Centered Design” Isn’t Just a Term to Me

Essentially, I see my job as being an advocate for the user. I believe good product design can only come from listening to and observing users. Doing this requires being involved in a project from the very beginning and using an iterative design approach at every phase of a product’s development.

Interpreting user feedback is a tricky business. It requires judgment as not everyone understands what they see. You have to have a passion to understand user capabilities, their perspective, and their needs, especially when results occur that are contrary to expectations and product development and business objectives.

Once user needs are clearly understood, turning them into an effective design requires collaboration and trade-offs with designers, programmers, customer service, and QA, as well as clear and on-going communications with management, in both development and marketing.