Think back to how we’d listen to music on-the-go in the late 1990’s. People used portable cassette players and CD players like Walkmans, but they were cumbersome. They’d skip (and sometimes break) with any suddent movement, and the CDs and cassettes themselves would take up space.
Enter the iPod. Other MP3 players had been on the market since the late 1990’s, but they were severely lacking in functionalities. As its famous marketing campaign stated, it “put 1,000 songs in users’ pockets” and its sleek, lightweight design made it perfect for people who led busy lifestyles.
This is an easily recognisable example of human-centric design in action. Its designers identified a problem experienced by real people and worked carefully to develop a rounded solution for it. To put it simply, human-centred graphic design is this principle, but applied to visual communication.
These days, design isn't just about aesthetics; it's about creating meaningful experiences that resonate with users. Human-centred graphic design is an approach that prioritises the needs, preferences, and behaviours of its audience. By focusing on the end-user, designers can create products that are not just visually appealing, but also highly functional and accessible.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the details of human-centred graphic design and highlight why it’s so important.
Human-centred graphic design – a definition
Human-centred graphic design is an approach that puts the user at the heart of the design process. Rather than designing based on assumptions or purely creative instincts, it involves understanding the users’ needs, preferences, and challenges.
The goal is to create designs that are intuitive, functional, and accessible. This user-first mindset ensures the final product solves real-world problems and delivers a seamless experience.
Key elements of human-centred graphic design
User research
User research is the main focus of human-centred graphic design. It involves gathering data about users through various methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observational studies. This helps designers understand the user's needs, motivations, and pain points.
By gaining insights into the user's world, designers can create solutions that are relevant and effective. It’s also important to research the setting and context for your graphic design project, as this will also give clues about what you’ll need to consider.
In a resource centre for people that are visually impaired, a purely visual map of the building wouldn’t be useful. In this context, it would be vital to add a map layout in Braille and place it well within arm’s reach.
User testing
This is an iterative process where prototypes or final designs are tested with real users to identify usability issues and areas for improvement.
There are several methods of user testing, including A/B testing, usability testing, and beta testing. By observing how users interact with your design, you can make informed adjustments that enhance the overall user experience.
Optimal usability can be difficult to appreciate because it unnoticed when running smoothly, but consumers will very quickly notice the negative aspects of a design because of any obstacles, roadblocks and confusion it presents.
Belgian software company Verhaert Digital’s worst-practice UI experiment, User Inyerface, is an entertaining yet frustrating demonstration of a website that goes against standard behavioural psychology and user habits.
Iterative design
Iterative design is a cyclical process of prototyping, testing, analysing, and refining a product. This acknowledges that the first solution is rarely perfect.
By continuously testing and refining designs based on user feedback, you can progressively improve your product. This ensures that your design is well-optimised, user-friendly and that it continues to be a living, breathing project with the capacity to adapt to changing trends and user behaviours.
Creating accessible, user-friendly designs
Accessibility
Accessibility is a crucial aspect of human-centred graphic design. It ensures that designs and products can be used by everyone, regardless of variable factors such as disability, socioeconomic status, or fluency in a given language, for example.
Designers achieve accessibility by following guidelines such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This might involve using high-contrast colours for text, providing alternative text for images, ensuring keyboard navigability, and offering transcripts for audio content. By making your designs as accessible as possible, you can avoid indirect discrimination and minimise user disparity in terms of who can benefit from your final products.
Usability
Usability refers to how easily users can navigate and interact with a product. A highly usable design is intuitive, efficient, and satisfying to use – it can be enhanced by focusing on simplicity, consistency, and user feedback.
Simple designs avoid unnecessary complexity, making it easy for users to understand and use the product. If you maintain consistency in design elements such as colour schemes, fonts, and button styles, users can predict how your design will behave.
The importance of human-centred design in a digital world
With technology influencing the ways we live, work and shop, human-centred graphic design has become more important than ever. Here’s why.
Usability expectations are higher than ever
With the number of digital products, solutions and apps available on the market, users have come to expect high standards of usability and accessibility. Human-centred design ensures that products meet these expectations by focusing on real peoples’ needs and preferences. Enhanced user experience leads to increased user satisfaction and loyalty.
It drives innovation
By centring the design process around real users, human-centred design can drive innovation. Understanding users' challenges and pain points can inspire creative solutions that might not emerge from a purely technical or aesthetic approach. This user-driven innovation can give designers a competitive edge, since they offer unique and effective solutions.
It increases engagement and retention
Think about apps and websites you’ve used that offer a bad user experience. Chances are you either stopped using them or uninstalled it altogether and used a competitor’s solution instead.
Products designed with the user in mind are more likely to engage and retain them – users are more likely to continue using it and recommend it to others. This is particularly important in today's digital market, where users have countless options and can easily switch to competitors’ solutions.
It promotes inclusivity
Human-centred design promotes inclusivity by considering the diverse needs of different user groups. By making products accessible to people with various abilities and backgrounds, designers contribute to a more inclusive digital landscape. This not only benefits users, but also enhances the solution’s reputation and reach.
Studying an online MA Graphic Design at AUB
Human-centred graphic design is a powerful concept that can be used to shape a better, more inclusive world. Are you ready to unlock your full potential as a graphic designer and use your creative vision for good? If so, our 100% online MA Graphic Design course could be the ultimate way to achieve your goals.
Our multidisciplinary course will encourage you to tackle today’s most pressing issues, with modules focused on human-centred graphic design and sustainability. As a graduate of our course, you’ll be equipped with all the tools and knowledge you need to succeed as a visual communicator – whether you choose to establish yourself as a freelancer or work within organisations. Best of all, since our course is online and flexible, you can pursue your studies without putting your career on hold.
