Human Behavior in Design
Depending on the objective, the use of a developed product has a specific effect on the user in a defined situation. Developers define the necessary functions, search for concepts and basic solutions and finally design the product. Research and application in the context of multivariate behavioral aspects of product development should ensure that the finalized product actually meets user expectations. Methods and concepts of work, social, behavioral and cognitive science are transferred to the subject area of product development in order to advance method development adequately and to validate results accordingly.
Relevance
Products are made by people for people. Developers and users, however, differ greatly in their perspective on a product. Based on the identified user needs, developers define a product goal to which they align the entire product design. Users, on the other hand, initially perceive the product as an isolated object and interpret it on the basis of their experience, knowledge and expectations. Both in his role as a user and in his role as a developer, man is shaped by his environment, his attitudes, behaviour and actions. The consequences of his actions in turn act as a new input for his future patterns of action and behaviour.
Problem definition and focus
Product developers need to understand the processes of interpretation of a technical system by users in order to predict interactions of the product with them and be able to include them in the development process. Depending on the function of the user perspective in the development process, different user data and context information are required. This user integration must be methodically supported in all phases in order to ensure successful development activities despite considerable differences in experience between developers and users.
In this context, we are particularly concerned with the following main research areas:
- Design of technical assistance for comfort and competence maintenance
- Methods for user involvement in product development
- Transformation of user wishes into technical requirements.