Design with a system – The User Interface Engineering Model of UID

When designing user-friendly products, attention is paid right from the start to individual requirements, to the environment of use as well as to the tasks and goals of the users. The user-centered design process systematizes. Based on our User Interface Engineering Model, we pass through all phases of user-centered design with our customers. Our benchmark: Your individual requirements and goals.

Analyzing the context of use

In this phase, information on the users is collected including their individual requirements, their tasks and goals and their typical environment of use. Based on the subsequent formulation of use scenarios, the requirements which the interactive system is supposed to meet are defined. Here, different methods are applied:

  • Opportunity Scoring (Quantitative evaluation of requirements by potential users)
  • Focus Groups (structured group discussion)
  • Use Case Definition (Formulation of representative use scenarios)
  • Card Sorting (Definition of structures and concepts by representative users)

Designing a concept of use

In this phase, requirements become solutions. Based on the typical use scenarios, interaction and design concepts are developed. Here, different approaches can be taken in parallel to find optimal solutions.

  • Design Workshops (joint design with the customers)
  • GUI Design
  • Icon Design
  • Inductive UI Design

Experiencing an interactive product

The interaction and design solutions are made perceivable by early visualization and implementation in a prototype. The prototype is growing from first rough sketches to the detailed preliminary versions of the final product. Different prototypes are used depending on the individual case:

  • Paper Prototypes
  • Interactive Prototypes in Flash, XAML, PPT, HTML, Visual Basic, C#, C++

Evaluation

The developed interactive and design solutions are continuously evaluated to find out whether they meet the requirements defined before. Both experts and representative users can be involved in these evaluations. Evaluations are performed continuously or at specific stages in the development process. The evaluation results form the basis of the subsequent optimization of the concepts. Different methods can be applied here:

  • Expert Review (evaluation by usability experts)
  • User-Guided Walkthrough (walk-through of user interfaces and concepts by representative users)
  • Usability Tests (tests with representative users)
  • Total User Experience Analysis (Evaluation of the entire user experience)
  • Questionnaires (AttrakDiff™, ISONORM-10, ISOMETRICS, etc.)

Implementation and Documentation

  • Dialogue modules
  • Development of templates
  • Style guides
  • User interface specifications

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