WS - User Centered Design

Top 5 reasons why User Centered Web Design works

1. Using a development process that involves users helps to give a fresh perspective and can find domain specific problems that otherwise would not be found by a web design team.
2. A user centered web design process can create a sound initial website design that costs less later on in terms of ongoing usability testing.
3. It is iterative. Therefore, any problems at the requirements stage can be ironed out before the design stage commences. This helps to improve the chance of delivering an end product that meets business requirements.
4. Traditionally, software and website design was left to IT Professionals. Users were left out of the equation. This created a chasm of ignorance between the developer and the end user. The developer was stuck in his or her own world whilst the user got to use a piece of software or website that didn't really work as it should. This lead to expensive re-development or software project failure.
5. Without user centred web design, the requirements are decided based on the businesses own interpretation of what their target market requires, their market research. This would be fine but this market research isn't usually geared towards producing an online presence. If the business hasn't had a website created previously this is usually because of the businesses decision maker's lack of experience of the internet. This is why prototyping and testing a website before it goes live should be a high priority in any web design project.