The comparison of user-centered design and goal-directed design
Chen Wei
Wuhan University of Technology
Art and Design
Wuhan, China
E-mail: soccerchenwei@163.com
Ab stract
� Nowadays with the economic growth, more and
more problems made the transformation of economic growth
be the key. User-centered design is a way of thinking method
present in Research stage of the goal-directed design , and it
has a vital role in the comprehensive understanding of the user.
Goal-directed design is a comprehensive design approach that
emphasizes the guide of design. This article tries to compare
two design concepts and explore the benefits of economic
growth mode transformation of the design guidelines for the
healthy development of social and economic assistance.
Keywords- user-centered; goal-oriented ; guide
I. INTRODUCTION
UCD is short for user-centered design. It is the most
popular design vocabulary; the basic idea is to put users first
in all processes. UCD meets the needs of users for the
ultimate goal. However, design should not only meet
customer's needs, but should also be convenient for the user
reduce resource waste and environmental damage and ev
improve the human's environment. In many cases, the user is
blind. Users simply change their lifestyle according to
designs. The invention of the computer and generated phone
changed an era. When people use their experience of a long
painful process of learning and adaptation, in the absence of
any experience, when users are complaining about the so­
called high-tech products, and even create fear. Good design
should guide users with the life experience. Goal-directed
design approach is an example, it emphasizes the role of
design's guidance, not only in guiding the use of the product
is very important, and in guiding the rational way of life of
modem China's economic growth mode transformation of
the role also will not be estimate.
II. USER-CENTERED DESIGN
The user-centered design is very popular .It emphasizes
the user's needs and feelings of users in product design,
development, maintenance and around user-centered in
product design, development and maintenance, rather than
make the user to adapt products.
Concluding two points: First, starting from the user's
needs; second product to adapt to the user. I agree with the
former very much, a good design if it can not meet the basic
needs of users who can not call it design even to talk about
978-1-4244-7974-0/10/$26.00 ©2010 IEEE
Fang Xing
Wuhan University of Technology
Art and Design
Wuhan, China
E-mail: fang@whut.edu.cn.com
competitive? Starting from the needs is the most basic
element.
Products adapt to the user is a little biased. Of course, the
product's ease of use is important, but let the object to adapt
to people, it is very difficult. Because people are living,
.
thmgs are dead, the dead to adapt to the alive is against
nature, so it is difficult to achieve.
III. GOAL-DIRECTED DESIGN
Goal-directed design can be divided into six stages,
namely, research, modeling, definition of needs, definition of
the framework, design refinement and design support. The
first three stages are for the formation of the overall
framework. Therefore, in the course of the study, the
designer must be involved to complete the conversion
between the two.
However, in the research stage, to a more comprehensive
and objective understanding of users, designers must put
aside their own subjective opinions. The best is "pointless" to
�
study. With the subjective results of research do not meet the
majority of users really think, so the whole model is a
problem. In the research phase in order to avoid this from
happening, most use the qualitative research approach.
In the future, the number of highly developed society,
interaction design will exist in any design. Your gestures will
exist between all interact in a blink of an eye or even
inadvertently would be an interactive way.
Interaction is a relationship or a behavior, which
�mplements the transfer of information, so interaction design
IS actually an act of design. Behavior generated from a
thought, therefore, only through the behavior of that
interaction is only a surface. Finding the motivation which is
the goal of the user is the root. Goal-directed design method
is the way of finding that the relationship between user and
object.
IV. COMPARATIVE STUDY
The same point: Both emphasize the crucial role of users '
in the area meeting the user's requirements are the same.
Different points: UCD put the focus of the design to meet
the needs of users. The goal-directed design emphasizes the
user's goals, and stressed that the guide of design. UCD is the
dominant thinking of early research stage, and goal-directed
design is an overall design method.
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 With lifestyle changes, the user hierarchy of needs is also
rising. Only meet the basic needs of users can not help life
easy or efficient work. Here are some specific problems of
the two.
UCD, bring products to adapt to the user's reference to a
bit extreme, but the starting point should be to achieve the
perfect user experience, users can quickly learn the product
itself or even to use the product with Intuition.
If you understood from this perspective, Naoto
Fukasawa's intuitive design is nearly the same. Naoto
Fukasawa's intuitive design concept first came from the
Japanese philosophy of "HARJ" The idea is that the control,
tension and toughness, emphasizing balance between things,
between people and the external environment balance and
harmony. Naoto Fukasawa is aware of specific things to fit
with its existing environment. Before long, he thoroughly
studied the design of the "intuitive" phenomenon that is
"functional visibility." He observed. Contacting with the
environment, people do not deliberate what to think, it is
unconscious or intuitive natural behavior, such as an
amputated trees, people sit on the above without thinking.
Persons and objects, the environment to reach a perfect
harmony, is to find a sense of the core, the design is actually
to find consciousness.
But how the intuition produces? Naoto Fukasawa's study,
the so-called intuition is derived from the fundamental
experience. How a baby understands the amputated trees?
Therefore, while the basic functions of their products to
achieve a good user experience, or need to psychology,
sociology, anthropology, etc. in the output. The experience
of different ethnic groups in different times has different;
Just an intuitive can not solve all the problems. How to use
new things with people do not experience?
Therefore, guiding the user is very important. But what
need to be raised is: in the goal-directed design of the
research process (including research, modeling and
definition of needs) in, UCD thinking is essential. Research
work with the research who can not be subjective orientation,
even some of the activities and work irrelevant, once
disturbed are likely to come to conclusions inconsistent with
the reality, not be able to find the correct user needs and
goals.
Therefore, user-centered research must be objective; it
only exists in the goal-directed design of the research stage.
Goal-directed design is to achieve the final goal of the
user. Cooper defined three goals to the Norman's theory of
cognitive were user experience goals, the ultimate goal and
objectives in life. The first goal is the base. A product does
not achieve this goal will fail, even though it completed the
other goals. Represents the ultimate goal of users using a
specific product to operate the motive is to determine the
overall product experience, which is the most significant
factor. Goal in life is usually beyond the context of product
design. But the decision is as to whether there will be a loyal
fanatic user.
Goal-directed design commitment to user goals, to
achieve user objectives and meet customer needs not
contradictory. Users need to drink plenty of water, any
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container is to meet user needs, but there are various means
to achieve this objective water, in the current environment,
the best to achieve this goal is the best design. The process to
achieve goals is a dynamic process, which includes the use
of the environment and the use of factors such behavior, the
demand for more comprehensive than simple. When user
using a cup, to mold or raise or pull or drag is to adapt to the
cup, that is, to adapt to the material, were characterized by
shape, color, material or other, etc. to guide people.
Therefore, the design guide lifestyle or to meet customer
needs is right. Good design should lead people to a
reasonable use and perfect to meet the needs of users.
At the same time goal-directed design also achieved the
goal of designer. Designers not only meet the needs of the
user, but also are able to guide their design to achieve the
objective. It is the realization of the value of the designer
himself. In the process of this method, the designer thought a
more open and flexible in solving a problem. He can stand
on a higher level and has a perspective of the activities to
achieve the design.
V. CONCLUSION
By comparing the two methods, I think, UCD should be
the guiding principle in the research stage, all our work
should be around the user, draw objective conclusions, for
the user real goals, and then classify goals and continue the
use of goal-directed design to complete the design of all the
work.
That design should be in the overall use of goal-directed
design. In the early research stage, using UCD concepts can
be more objective and accurate. They are different, but are
good methods.
Design is human's third intelligence, people change their
way of life through the design. But during the past several
hundred years, people hid behind the design of the waste and
destruction of the earth's resources. For example, the
existence of cars, is not there are other comfortable and
efficient environment-friendly products can replace it? Many
lifestyles are worthy of our reflection.
From the macro perspective, the design should guide the
people's way of life. We are now developing and being filled
with waste of resources, environmental pollution. It is not the
right development model. Harmony between man and nature
is the highest level of design. Therefore, to meet the demands
of public life, we must also meet the needs of future
generations and guide the rational way of life .That is the
best. The mission of goal-directed design is in this
REFERENCES
[I] Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, David Cronin, About Face 3: The
Essentials of Interaction Design, Publishing house of electronics
industry, 2008.
[2] Liao Xiangzhong, Digital Art of the, China Broadcasting and TV
Press, 2006.
[3] Li Sida, The Fundamentals of Interaction Design, Tsinghua
University Press, 2009.
[4] Hu Fei, Focus on the user: concept and practice of UCD, China
Building Industry Press, 2009.