Mind that User’s Mind: Incorporating Cultural Difference to User-centred Design Approaches

Abstract

With today’s ability to be in every part of the world at the push of a button, the ability to see, hear, learn about what is going on elsewhere is greater than ever. We are also increasingly able to fabricate pictures through the manipulation of visual information. With this surge to a potentially worldwide ‘connectedness’ comes the opportunity, if not responsibility, for the design profession to consider its implications. While it might not be of any consequence if individuals are able to mentally connect with or believe in the validity of the pictures presented, when it comes to the acceptance of concepts and design ideas the judgements individuals make are rather important. Judgements are made based on references which are personal interpretations of individually selected visual, acoustical, haptic and organisation-related information. This information is said to be evaluated in respect to its adequacy and relevancy to the viewer. With today’s potential for a product or space to be marketed globally the variety of possible interpretations has multiplied, as has the option and danger for mis-interpretation. Not knowing the context, not knowing the references used for interpretation makes it impossible to predict how an object will be judged or used. For many years, in educating the next generations of designers we have been advocating the importance of the careful study of the user along with the study of the existing or prospective context. In developing design objectives for a particular project we have been stressing the incorporation of data that relates to both the prospective users physical as well as psychological needs, and asking for user participation early on in the design process, in order to detect the design implications effected by a diversity of possible interpretations.