What should professional UID do?
Unlike professional usability engineering, content development, systems engineering, and programming which have clearly defined functional definitions, UID's primary function is one of synthesis, bringing content, usability, and visual style together in a meaningful form. UID, when practiced in a rigorous manner, should be a method for creating a powerful "container" for a corporation's interactive brand, content, and usability performance objectives. This however almost never happens because UID has failed to develop a cohesive, formal set of development methodologies. The effect of this problem is seen today in web development. It is common for other development disciplines, including usability engineering, software engineering, programming, marketing, and even graphic design to lay claim to the UID function. In short, everyone thinks that they can do UID. This however is not the case. And, as any seasoned executive now knows, it is nearly impossible to determine who can actually do UID effectively. This is a huge problem given current market conditions and the need to show significant ROI for all development efforts.
Don't call me, I'll call you
Now, following the demise of many e-commerce design firms like Razorfish, MarchFirst and others, the problem has grown even more complex. Many executives responsible for e-commerce strategy and execution spent millions of dollars on UID solutions that were poorly conceived and rushed to launch without the benefit of professional UID methods. This has left many corporate development executives with an attitude that UID is nothing more than the application of a visual style to functions and content developed by engineering and marketing departments. Unfortunately, this approach is currently producing sites that are cluttered with add-ons that meet individual departmental objectives, but dramatically complicate the on-line customer experience. The current web development model of choice for many large sites is "patch and wait." Under this approach e-commerce initiatives are put into a holding pattern from which little can be learned or gained. The result is yet another round of sub-par e-commerce delivery systems. Not a pretty picture to say the least.
The honeymoon is over
Recently, attempts to implement a professionally rigorous UID process model have been met with rejection by high-level development executives who have experienced the first eight years of e-com development. And they are correct in their concerns. Why spend millions of dollars on UID expertise that has not and probably cannot deliver meaningful solutions on time and within budget? This backlash is unfortunate because UID is still absolutely critical and is the only way to create a truly powerful customer experience design. But where to turn? There are signs that UID is maturing and will eventually reach a point where major screen-based initiatives can expect and demand solutions that are objectively successful and deliver performance in line with reasonable and clearly articulated business objectives. What will this development model actually look like?
User-Centered Design? Sure we do that!
Since the introduction of e-commerce as a new delivery model, no description has been more misused than "User-Centered Design." When asked if they employ UCD principles, many web development teams would answer a resounding "yes!" However, their sites rarely reflect even the most basic principles of professional UCD. It is an undeniable fact the UCD is a formal development discipline that has been used for more than 60 years to solve all manner of complex commercial and military man-machine interaction problems. Originating in the late 1930's as a means of improving the performance of various military systems, including fighter aircraft design, UCD was a formal process for integrating research produced by professional usability engineering and systems engineering. When viewed as a professional discipline, UCD is defined as a comprehensive proprietary software development methodology driven by: (1) clearly specified, task-oriented business objectives, and (2) the recognition of user needs, limitations, and preferences. Information collected during UCD analysis is scientifically applied in the design, testing, and implementation of products and services. When applied correctly, a UCD approach meets both user needs and the business objectives of the sponsoring organization. The key words here are "Task-oriented" and "scientifically applied." UCD, when practiced properly, is based on the scientific decision model. Advanced UID methods, such as UCD/Z, allow design teams to create user interface design solutions for screen-based products and services that are fully responsive to user needs and limitations. This is a complex process focused on creating the proper balance between visual branding, content, and usability. Let's be clear about the fact that achieving such a balance in today's development environment is difficult, but not impossible.
Old habits die hard
Professional User-Centered Design becomes even more complex when it meets web development teams for the first time. These new methods may confuse development teams who are accustomed to working from the technology up. Most developers still use technology-centered design, an approach that grew out of the work group development methods of the 1960s. While technology driven design was appropriate for large-scale back-end systems, it has serious drawbacks for the most recent screen-based delivery innovations that touch millions of users.
The major problem with technology-centered design is the negative impact it has on the quality of the user's experience including issues like ease of use, style of interaction, and content presentation. With this technology driven approach, the user interface is created by the programming group. The user is not represented until very late in the development process, after much of the serious coding work has been completed. On the other hand, with a UCD approach, coding is among the last steps of development. For this reason development teams that are new to UCD often feel a loss of control that causes serious conflicts within the development and management team. The resolution of such conflicts is actually part of the professional process model of UCD.
ROI: immediate v long term
According to Claire-Marie Karat, of IBM research, for every dollar spent to fix a problem during product design, $10 are spent to fix the same problem in development. While fixing this problem after release would cost $100.
Asking the right questions may help
In addition, user-centered design aggressively integrates brand attributes into the user experience. User interactions are created that link brand attributes to design elements and increase brand awareness. This leads to a powerful, interactive brand experience for the user.
What makes this issue difficult is that UCD practice is still in its early stages of development and there are many individuals and firms who claim to have this expertise. However, like professional usability engineering, UCD methods are unique and cannot be applied by engineering, marketing, or strategic planning disciplines. UCD is the "glue" that binds successful screen-based customer experiences. The best way to determine who has this expertise is reviewing in detail the prior work of the firms or individuals under consideration and asking the following question: "What hard numbers do you have that demonstrate that your ability to apply the UCD process has been successful?" This question generally separates the art from the science.
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