Coffeepot for Masochists : A Study in User-Centered System Design

Abstract: This master thesis is carried out in the field of “Human-Computer interaction”, more specifically the area “User-centered system design”. The focus has been on “usability” and useful graphical user interfaces. Current theories and definitions in the field have been considered. Literature studies contain well known authors and organisations in domains mentioned above; Jakob Nielsen, Donald A Norman and International Organization for Standardization ISO to mention some.  Another source for this work from which the theories and way of working have been used is the book “User-Centered System Design” written by Jan Gulliksen and Bengt Göransson.  The work started with a literature study followed by looking at methods to use. The next step was to do task and user analysis which followed by the development phase. The user has been given a central role in this project and, just as recommended, also been involved through the whole cycle. A useful method to get feedback from users, in addition to interviews and workshops, has been the “Heuristic Evaluation”.  The final result and conclusion shows that the user-centered system design is a powerful tool to adapt when designing and developing interactive user interface.