1 Columbia University June 23, 2006 The Rat Is Never Wrong: An Introduction to the Methods of User-Centered Design Nancy Fried Foster, University of Rochester

2 Images of badly designed items –Juicer –Elevator indicators –Odometer –Informational label on packing box –Cleaning products

3 Traditional approach Limited user input Mostly after prototyping Co-design approach User engaged from the beginning “Discover” user needs Refine with user input

4 1. We know what they need.

5 2. What do they need? 1. We know what they need.

6 2. What do they need? 3. What do they need to do? 1. We know what they need.

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9 What do undergraduates really do when they write their research papers?

10 Improve … Reference outreach Facilities Web presence

11 Faculty Expectations Librarians talked with professors Hallmarks of a successful paper Common problems

12 Image of student dorm room showing bookshelves

13 Image of a thumb drive as an example of something “high tech”

14 Image of items that a student carries at all times, including: –Cell phone –Watch –Keys –ID bracelet –Wallet (showing drivers license) –Student ID on lanyard (also works as swipe card for cafeteria and other campus purchases)

15 Photograph of “something weird” –Staged card game using toy cards and other props

16 Photograph of student dorm room showing bunk beds, linens, various student items

17 Large printed maps on which students have marked their routes through campus over the course of one day

18 Large printed maps on which students have marked… –Places where they feel comfortable –Places where they feel that they don’t belong or should not go –Places where they spend most of their time

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22 Photo of a large-scale prototype of personal electronic device, designed by students as a warm-up activity in a web-design workshop Note: next slide was a similar photo

23 Large picture drawn by a student of her/his ideal library space, created during a space design workshop Note: next two slides were similar drawings

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29 Nancy Fried Foster, University of Rochester