Seal for user-centered software comes from Karlsruhe
In future, software manufacturers will be able to use the “user-centered development” seal to advertise the ease of use of their IT products. But how can user-centered software development be successfully implemented? And how is such a seal awarded in the first place? Karlsruhe.digital asked the non-profit association Usability and User Experience in Germany (UIG) about the meaning and purpose of the seal.
Development processes and results
illuminated
“We don’t certify the product as such, but are first and foremost concerned with the development process,” says Janina Kouvaris, Operations Manager at UIG. This is why the UIG takes a close look at the entire development process of a software when awarding the seal and examines all steps from organization to development in detail. During an audit with accredited UX experts, the most important process steps of the user-centered development process and associated results are then analyzed. These are essentially: organize – understand – design – evaluate. If the criteria for user-centered development are met, software is awarded the seal for one year. If this has not yet been fully achieved, it is also possible to receive the seal with conditions.
The seal includes good advice
“It’s not just about the seal as such,” Kouvaris clarifies. “Companies also receive a well-founded assessment of their development processes. If implemented correctly, they should ultimately lead to intuitive usability of the software”. User-friendliness is an important quality feature for Kouvaris. “Ideally, you won’t need a user manual for an IT product in the future,” says Kouvaris.
Apple as a pioneer
One of the best-known examples of a user-friendly product is still the iPhone from Apple. Other companies had already come up with the basic idea of combining several apps such as a phone, camera, jukebox and navigation system in one device. But the first pocket computers were developed by techies for techies. The operation was too complex for the general public. It was only with the intuitive iPhone that the smart cell phone was able to establish itself as a mass product and blueprint for an entire generation of devices.
Germany has some catching up to do
For Kouvaris, the fact that the iPhone was developed in America is no coincidence. “User-friendliness has long been an extremely high priority in the USA,” says the UIG spokesperson. According to several studies, user-friendliness plays a less important role in Europe. In Germany, too, the topic does not yet enjoy the status it deserves in many companies. The UIG wants to change this with the seal and the associated quality campaign. In Karlsruhe, CAS Software AG and the product smartwe are already the first seal holder.
User-centered products sell better
User centricity is one of the fundamental principles for high usability and a positive user experience. Products and processes are completely geared towards the actual user – they are at the center of all considerations. “This brings numerous potential benefits. Starting with an increase in customer satisfaction, quality improvements and better cost efficiency – because the product team builds up empathy for the user right from the start and involves them in the discovery phase of the product,” she says. In addition, user-centered development is a contemporary approach and therefore also an important tool in the search for new specialists. This is because specialists are increasingly on the lookout for companies that visibly expose themselves to the topic of user-centricity to the outside world.
With this seal, UIG is focusing primarily on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). UIG is a partner in the SME Digital Center Focus on People. This is dedicated to supporting SMEs on their path to human-centric digitalization.