user-centered-design

# User-Centered Design & Research ## Research methods ### Heuristic evaluation (Nielsen's 10) Check against: visibility, match real world, user control, consistency, error prevention, recognition, flexibility, minimalism, recovery, help. ### Cognitive walkthrough For each user action ask: will user know what to do? will they notice correct action? will they understand feedback? ### Accessibility audit (WCAG 2.1) - A: color contrast (4.5:1), alt text, keyboard nav - AA: focus indicators, resize text 200%, error identification - AAA: sign language, extended descriptions ## Deliverable templates ### Persona ``` Name, Role, Goals, Pain points, Tech literacy, Environment ``` ### User flow ``` Trigger → Screen → Action → Feedback → Next screen ``` ### Usability issue report ``` ID, Severity (critical/major/minor/cosmetic), Location, Description, WCAG ref, Suggested fix ``` ## Design principles - **Progressive disclosure** — show advanced options only when needed - **Error forgiveness** — undo, confirm before destructive actions - **Consistent mental model** — match platform conventions - **Feedback loops** — every action gets a visible response within 200ms - **Fitts's law** — target size ≥ 44x44px (mobile), ≥ 32x32px (desktop) ## Research process 1. Define: user segments, goals, success metrics 2. Collect: analytics, surveys, interviews, session recordings 3. Analyze: affinity mapping, pain point clustering, journey mapping 4. Recommend: prioritized fixes with effort vs impact