Develop human-centred solutions, techies advised
Sep 29, 2014
Young techies have been advised to have users at the back of their minds, while developing solutions if they are to thrive in an increasingly dynamic Information Communication Technology world.
By Billy Rwothungeyo
Young techies have been advised to have users at the back of their minds, while developing solutions if they are to thrive in an increasingly dynamic Information Communication Technology world.
“When you develop software, you must do it in a way that suits the user and the organisation that they work for,” said Kate Rowett, the client principal at ThoughtWorks, a global software development firm.
Rowett gave the counsel recently at a workshop dubbed Experience Design. It was organised in Kampala by ThoughtWorks. The workshop focused on humancentred design.
It emphasised the right digital service or product built for the right people, with user friendly features and Interaction Design.
“Gone are the days when you would just sit in a cubicle, sip a cup of coffee and design what you think is good, according to your tastes. If you are working like this, you are losing the edge. Developers need to work more with the users and less with themselves,” Rowett said.
The workshop was attended by students, visual designers and marketeers. Rowett said with people’s tastes getting more sophisticated, there is virtually no room for mediocrity in the world of software development.
“You need to understand who your users are, and endevour to make the user interfaces as simple as possible. Do not only think about the technical aspect of the solution you are developing,” she said.
The two-day workshop was conducted by Amanda Wise, a lead consultant in the Experience Design practice from ThoughtWorks. She said people-centred designs should not be a preserve of only techies.
“Whether you are in marketing or public relations, you need these skills so that you can develop better processes. You should talk to the people you want to develop a product for,” she said. ThoughtWorks has two offices in Africa; in Johannesburg and Kampala.
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