Human-Centered Design
User-Centered Design · Usability
A framework of processes (not restricted to interfaces or technologies) in which usability goals, user characteristics, environment, tasks and workflow of a product, service, and process are given attention at each stage of the design process — where the focus is on user experience and outcomes as opposed to feature specifications alone.
Origin
Human factors engineering emerged during World War II when designers recognized that human limitations must guide aircraft and tool design. Cognitive psychologist Don Norman coined "user-centered design" in his 1986 book User Centered System Design: New Perspectives on Human-computer Interaction. He popularized the approach in his 1988 foundational text The Design of Everyday Things. In 1993, Norman coined "user experience design," and now uses "human-centered design" to emphasize putting human needs, capabilities, and behavior first.