The process you describe is too narrow, in my view, to "define" UCD.
Not everyone uses personas, for example, or use only interviews (ethnographic observation, eye tracking, all kinds of stuff is also used). User-Centered Design is just what it says it is -- designing from an understanding of intended users at the center, rather than putting individual 'vision' or committee guesswork at the center. This is something that hasn't always been taken for granted (and in many circles still isn't). I'm not sure if you can call something that broad a process but I guess that depends on how you define 'process.' That's not to say there aren't conventions and patterns in how we do this kind of work, but those are instantiations, not the idea itself. Again, it comes to semantics, and I'm as weary as anyone of those circular talks. But this seems a pretty clear distinction to me. --- Andrew Hinton Vanguard User Experience Group personal: inkblurt.com "Robert Hoekman, Jr." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent by: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 11/29/2007 12:23 PM To "Peter Merholz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> cc [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject Re: [IxDA Discuss] Define the "User Centered Design" process > There's no such thing as a "User-Centered Design" process. > > User-centered design is a philosophy, a sensibility, not a process. I'm not convinced. 1. Define the problem 2. Determine the audience 3. Locate and interview representative users 4. Develop persona descriptions 5. Begin design ... etc. (I realize some elements overlap and others come and go as needed, but you get the idea.) These are the basic tenets of what UCDers talk about all the time. Sounds like a process to me. -r- ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT. The information contained in this e-mail message, including attachments, is the confidential information of, and/or is the property of, Vanguard. The information is intended for use solely by the individual or entity named in the message. If you are not an intended recipient or you received this in error, then any review, printing, copying, or distribution of any such information is prohibited, and please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and then delete this e-mail from your system. ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
