INFO2222 · Computing 2 Usability and Security
User Experience and User-Centred Design
Week 2 distinguishes usability from the broader user experience and teaches User-Centred Design (UCD) as the core method, together with how to gather requirements. This is the theory behind Project Phase 1 (the proposal) and a reliable source of apply-and-select items on the final exam — classifying a requirement, ordering the UCD cycle, or choosing a data-gathering technique.
What this chapter covers
- 01Usability vs user experience (UX): measurable ease of use vs the subjective felt quality of the whole experience
- 02User-Centred Design cycle: Requirements → Design alternatives → Prototyping (lo-fi/hi-fi) → Evaluation, iterating with the user central
- 03Gould & Lewis (1985) UCD principles: early focus on users and tasks; empirical measurement; iterative design
- 04Why involve users: good functionality, realistic expectation management, and a sense of ownership that aids adoption
- 05Kinds of requirement: functional, data, environmental (context of use), user (profile), and usability/UX
- 06User stories: 'As a <role>, I want <behaviour> so that <benefit>'; getting requirements right early is cheapest
- 07Data-gathering: five key issues (goals, whom, relationship/consent, triangulation, pilot) and technique trade-offs
- 08Interview types (open/unstructured, structured, semi-structured, focus group) and thematic analysis (familiarise → code → theme → review)
Classify requirements and name a UCD principle
- +1(1) 'Let a student RSVP' states what the system should do — this is a functional requirement.
- +1(2) 'Stores a title, time, location and capacity' specifies what information must be held and its structure — this is a data requirement.
- +1(3) 'Work outdoors in bright sunlight' is about the physical context the product is used in — this is an environmental (context-of-use) requirement, not a usability requirement about a performance target.
- +1(4) Running a small trial with real users and revising from what is observed is empirical measurement (observing and measuring the reactions of intended users), one of the three Gould & Lewis principles — alongside early focus on users and tasks, and iterative design.
Key terms
- User-Centred Design (UCD)
- A design approach placing the user at the centre of every activity, driven by users' needs and behaviours. Its cycle is Requirements → Design alternatives → Prototyping → Evaluation, looping back until the design is right.
- Gould & Lewis principles
- The three foundations of UCD (1985): early focus on users and tasks; empirical measurement (observe and measure real users with prototypes); and iterative design (fix problems found in testing and re-test).
- Requirement
- A statement of what a product should do or how it should perform. Kinds: functional (what it does), data (what is stored), environmental (context of use), user (profile), and usability/UX. Errors are cheapest to fix at this stage.
- User story
- An agile requirement in the form 'As a <role>, I want <behaviour> so that <benefit>' — e.g. 'As a traveller, I want to save my favourite airline so that I can collect air miles.'
- Triangulation
- One of the five key data-gathering issues: examining data from more than one perspective and collecting more than one type or method (e.g. quantitative measures plus qualitative interviews) to strengthen findings.
- Thematic analysis
- A method for interpreting qualitative data by identifying patterns (themes). Steps: familiarisation (read/transcribe), coding (label segments), developing themes (cluster and name codes), reviewing and refining (check coherence, reach team agreement).
User Experience and User-Centred Design FAQ
What is the difference between usability and user experience?
Usability is about whether an interface is effective and efficient to use — measurable qualities like task time or error rate. User experience is the subjective, felt side: whether the product is enjoyable, engaging, satisfying, or on the negative side frustrating or patronising. A product can be usable but unpleasant, or delightful but hard to use; good design attends to both. This distinction is a common early-quiz item.
Why does UCD insist on involving users?
Because it produces three concrete benefits (Bano et al.): better functionality (you build what people actually need), realistic expectation management (no unpleasant surprises at delivery), and a sense of ownership that increases adoption. It also catches requirement errors early, when they are far cheaper to fix than after implementation. This 'why involve users' reasoning is examinable as a short apply question.
How do I choose a data-gathering technique?
Match the technique to your goal using its advantages and disadvantages: interviews give rich qualitative depth but are artificial and slow to analyse; focus groups surface multiple viewpoints but risk a dominant voice; questionnaires reach many people cheaply but are design-sensitive with low response rates; direct field observation is context-rich but very time-consuming; indirect observation (logging, diaries) is non-intrusive but needs tool support. Also apply the five key issues — goals, whom to involve, relationship and consent, triangulation, and a pilot study.
Can AI help me with user-centred design in INFO2222?
Yes, as a study aid. Sia can drill you on the UCD cycle and the Gould & Lewis principles, help you classify requirement kinds, turn a need into a user story, and talk through which data-gathering technique fits a scenario and why. Use it to rehearse and check your reasoning for the quizzes and your Phase 1 proposal thinking; it will not write your graded project or answer the quiz for you, and the University of Sydney academic-integrity policy applies.
Exam move
Turn Week 2 into two drills. First, requirement classification: take any app and write one requirement of each kind (functional, data, environmental, user, usability/UX), then practise labelling mixed lists at speed, since the exam gives you a statement and asks for its kind. Second, process recall: be able to order the UCD cycle and state the three Gould & Lewis principles plus the three benefits of involving users, because these come up as ordering and 'why' items. Learn the data-gathering techniques as a small advantages/disadvantages table and the four interview types, then rehearse the thematic-analysis four steps on a short invented transcript. This material underpins Project Phase 1, so applying it to your own project team is the most efficient way to revise. Confirm assessment details on Canvas.
Working through User Experience and User-Centred Design in INFO2222? Sia is AskSia’s AI Computer Science tutor — ask any INFO2222 User Experience and User-Centred Design question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation grounded in how INFO2222 is taught and assessed. Read this chapter free, then take your hardest questions to Sia.
