User-Centred Engineering: Creating Products for Humans

A new product can be easy or difficult to use, it can be efficient or cumbersome, engaging or dispiriting, it can support the way we work and think - or not. What options are available for systematically addressing such parameters and provide users with an appropriate functionality, usability and experience? In the last decades, several fields have evolved that encompass a user-centred approach to create better products for the people who use them. This book provides a comprehensible introduction to the subject. It is aimed first and foremost at people involved in software and product development – product managers, project managers, consultants and analysts, who face the major challenge of developing highly useful and usable products. Topics include:

• The most important user-centred techniques and their alignment in the development process
• Planning examples of user-centred activities for projects
• User-oriented approaches for organisations
• Real-life case studies
• Checklists, tips and a lot of background information provide help for practitioners