We thought it might be useful to start at the beginning, so to speak, for companies who have not yet adopted a user-centered design approach.

User-centered design is widely used by the best design firms in the world for medical and other high-level technologies. In many ways, this process is counter intuitive to the way that most engineers were trained. It requires thinking about design from the outside in.

[av_heading heading='The process is usually broken down into the following steps:' tag='h6' color='' custom_font='' style='' size='' subheading_active='' subheading_size='15' padding='0' av_uid='av-bgbtk7'][/av_heading]

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[av_iconlist_item title='Interview and observe' link='' linktarget='' linkelement='' icon='ue832' font='entypo-fontello' av_uid='av-7qsakn']
Actually go to your end users and find out what they need
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[av_iconlist_item title='Ideate' link='' linktarget='' linkelement='' icon='ue832' font='entypo-fontello' av_uid='av-68bcfr']
Take feedback from user observation and come up with some ideas (brainstorm, organize themes, etc.)
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[av_iconlist_item title='Prototype' link='' linktarget='' linkelement='' icon='ue832' font='entypo-fontello' av_uid='av-4gojav']
Build usable versions quickly and test them out
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[av_iconlist_item title='Iterate' link='' linktarget='' linkelement='' icon='ue832' font='entypo-fontello' av_uid='av-2oifpz']
Revise until you get something that works
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Human-centered design requires quick thinking and flexibility. It also requires an open mind, and very likely will break down some internal preconceived notions about a product.

However, designing products this way interweaves usability and a general user/customer focus, into the design stages, making it more likely that the product will meet the needs and expectations of the people who will buy it and use it.