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Information Design—Week 3, Assignment 1

Why is user centered design so important in interactive media as opposed to other information media?

Traditional media is not interactive. It does not and cannot interact with with those viewing or hearing it. It does not respond to “user” input; indeed, it has no method for users to offer input. In traditional media, the user is without a voice, and the medium on which the information is conveyed delivers its message without seeking input from its audience. Designing traditional media for the end user, while important, still allows only one-way communication.

Interactive media, by its very definition, seeks to interact with the user. It must, for that reason, be intuitive and well designed so that the user can understand how to interact with the medium. User-centered design is far more important in interactive media than in traditional media because the user makes decisions and interacts with the medium to choose what to see or hear next.

What is the process for developing user centered content for interactive media?

First, the information designer must determine who needs the information he plans to present, then figure out how they will use it. The target audience’s characteristics must be discovered. The users’ base level of understanding of the subject matter must be known. The project must also be developed in the context of users’ daily lives, allowing everyday users to access it. Finally, the information designer must develop a project the user can comfortably use and from which he can readily learn.