Beyond User-Centered Design: Applicable Concepts from Complementary Approaches

Abstract

In human factors, and especially in the area of computer system design, practitioners often employ a design approach or design philosophy called user-centered design (UCD). This paper provides an introduction to three complementary approaches (Quality Function Deployment, Front End Loading, and Service-Oriented Project Management) that originated in different domains and are primarily used by business development and project management. These approaches are then compared to UCD to determine whether UCD practitioners may be able to complement these approaches as well as incorporate new perspectives, strategies, or principles to enhance their application of UCD in system design. The principles from these other approaches may provide UCD practitioners with guidance to create a more robust approach to incorporating the human element into system design, and the tools and methodologies that accompany each approach could enhance UCD practices in the future.