UCD Method Exploration Tool

Online resource for exploring and selecting user-centered design methods

Team: Dr.ir. Jasper van Kuijk, Tristan Weevers, Jaap Daalhuizen MSc, Prof.ir. Daan van Eijk

In user-centered design (UCD), the process that supports the creation of usable products, a crucial challenge is to find and select the right approach for a specific situation. UCD methods are intended to help designers in planning and executing their UCD projects.

Product development practice is extremely hectic and messy, often leaving practitioners with very little time to explore and select methods for UCD; they need to quickly find the appropriate method, assess its qualities, and learn how to apply it. However, there are more than 200 UCD methods available.

As a consequence, designers often stick to what they know, leaving many potentially beneficial methods unused, and thus hindering the development of the field and – eventually – the development of better products for users. This is also a barrier for the dissemination into practice of new methods developed through academic research.