EN ISO 9241-210:2010

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-januar-2011
1DGRPHãþD
SIST EN ISO 13407:2001
(UJRQRPLMDPHGVHERMQHJDYSOLYDþORYHNVLVWHPGHO3URFHVLQDþUWRYDQMD
LQWHUDNWLYQLKVLVWHPRYRVUHGRWRþHQLKQDþORYHND,62
Ergonomics of human-system interaction - Part 210: Human-centred design for
interactive systems (ISO 9241-210:2010)
Ergonomie der Mensch-System-Interaktion - Teil 210: Prozess zur Gestaltung
gebrauchstauglicher interaktiver Systeme (ISO 9241-210:2010)
Ergonomie de l'interaction homme-système - Partie 210: Conception centrée sur
l'opérateur humain pour les systèmes interactifs (ISO 9241-210:2010)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO 9241-210:2010
ICS:
13.180 Ergonomija Ergonomics
35.180 Terminalska in druga IT Terminal and other
periferna oprema IT peripheral equipment
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN ISO 9241-210
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
October 2010
ICS 13.180; 35.180 Supersedes EN ISO 13407:1999
English Version
Ergonomics of human-system interaction - Part 210: Human-
centred design for interactive systems (ISO 9241-210:2010)
Ergonomie de l'interaction homme-système - Partie 210: Ergonomie der Mensch-System-Interaktion - Teil 210:
Conception centrée sur l'opérateur humain pour les Prozess zur Gestaltung gebrauchstauglicher interaktiver
systèmes interactifs (ISO 9241-210:2010) Systeme (ISO 9241-210:2010)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 30 September 2010.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European
Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national
standards may be obtained on application to the CEN Management Centre or to any CEN member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN Management Centre has the same status as the
official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels
© 2010 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 9241-210:2010: E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
Foreword .3

Foreword
The text of ISO 9241-210:2010 has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 159 “Ergonomics” of the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and has been taken over as EN ISO 9241-210:2010 by
Technical Committee CEN/TC 122 “Ergonomics” the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical
text or by endorsement, at the latest by April 2011, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the
latest by April 2011.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. CEN [and/or CENELEC] shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document supersedes EN ISO 13407:1999.
According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following
countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Endorsement notice
The text of ISO 9241-210:2010 has been approved by CEN as a EN ISO 9241-210:2010 without any
modification.
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 9241-210
First edition
2010-03-15
Ergonomics of human–system
interaction —
Part 210:
Human-centred design for interactive
systems
Ergonomie de l'interaction homme–système —
Partie 210: Conception centrée sur l'opérateur humain pour les
systèmes interactifs
Reference number
ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
©
ISO 2010
ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
PDF disclaimer
This PDF file may contain embedded typefaces. In accordance with Adobe's licensing policy, this file may be printed or viewed but
shall not be edited unless the typefaces which are embedded are licensed to and installed on the computer performing the editing. In
downloading this file, parties accept therein the responsibility of not infringing Adobe's licensing policy. The ISO Central Secretariat
accepts no liability in this area.
Adobe is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Details of the software products used to create this PDF file can be found in the General Info relative to the file; the PDF-creation
parameters were optimized for printing. Every care has been taken to ensure that the file is suitable for use by ISO member bodies. In
the unlikely event that a problem relating to it is found, please inform the Central Secretariat at the address given below.

©  ISO 2010
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from either ISO at the address below or
ISO's member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail copyright@iso.org
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved

ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction.vi
1 Scope.1
2 Terms and definitions .1
3 Rationale for adopting human-centred design.4
4 Principles of human-centred design .5
4.1 General .5
4.2 The design is based upon an explicit understanding of users, tasks and environments.5
4.3 Users are involved throughout design and development.6
4.4 The design is driven and refined by user-centred evaluation .6
4.5 The process is iterative.6
4.6 The design addresses the whole user experience .7
4.7 The design team includes multidisciplinary skills and perspectives.8
5 Planning human-centred design.8
5.1 General .8
5.2 Responsibility .8
5.3 Content of plan .9
5.4 Integration with project plan .9
5.5 Timing and resources .9
6 Human-centred design activities .10
6.1 General .10
6.2 Understanding and specifying the context of use.11
6.3 Specifying the user requirements .12
6.4 Producing design solutions .14
6.5 Evaluating the design .16
7 Sustainability and human-centred design.19
8 Conformance .19
Annex A (informative) Overview of the ISO 9241 series .21
Annex B (informative) Sample procedure for assessing applicability and conformance.22
Bibliography.32

ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 9241-210 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 159, Ergonomics, Subcommittee SC 4,
Ergonomics of human-system interaction.
This first edition of ISO 9241-210 cancels and replaces ISO 13407:1999, of which it constitutes a technical
revision. The changes include the following:
⎯ clarifying the role of iteration in the whole design process (not just evaluation);
⎯ emphasizing that human-centred methods can be used throughout the system life cycle;
⎯ explaining design activities;
⎯ clarifying the principles of human-centred design.
ISO 9241 consists of the following parts, under the general title Ergonomic requirements for office work with
visual display terminals (VDTs):
⎯ Part 1: General introduction
⎯ Part 2: Guidance on task requirements
⎯ Part 3: Visual display requirements
⎯ Part 4: Keyboard requirements
⎯ Part 5: Workstation layout and postural requirements
⎯ Part 6: Guidance on the work environment
⎯ Part 9: Requirements for non-keyboard input devices
⎯ Part 11: Guidance on usability
⎯ Part 12: Presentation of information
⎯ Part 13: User guidance
iv © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved

ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
⎯ Part 14: Menu dialogues
⎯ Part 15: Command dialogues
⎯ Part 16: Direct manipulation dialogues
⎯ Part 17: Form filling dialogues
ISO 9241 also consists of the following parts, under the general title Ergonomics of human–system interaction:
⎯ Part 20: Accessibility guidelines for information/communication technology (ICT) equipment and services
⎯ Part 100: Introduction to standards related to software ergonomics [Technical Report]
⎯ Part 110: Dialogue principles
⎯ Part 151: Guidance on World Wide Web user interfaces
⎯ Part 171: Guidance on software accessibility
⎯ Part 210: Human-centred design for interactive systems
⎯ Part 300: Introduction to electronic visual display requirements
⎯ Part 302: Terminology for electronic visual displays
⎯ Part 303: Requirements for electronic visual displays
⎯ Part 304: User performance test methods for electronic visual displays
⎯ Part 305: Optical laboratory test methods for electronic visual displays
⎯ Part 306: Field assessment methods for electronic visual displays
⎯ Part 307: Analysis and compliance test methods for electronic visual displays
⎯ Part 308: Surface-conduction electron-emitter displays (SED) [Technical Report]
⎯ Part 309: Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays [Technical Report]
⎯ Part 400: Principles and requirements for physical input devices
⎯ Part 410: Design criteria for physical input devices
⎯ Part 420: Selection procedures for physical input devices
⎯ Part 910: Framework for tactile and haptic interaction
⎯ Part 920: Guidance on tactile and haptic interactions
The following parts are under preparation:
⎯ Part 129: Guidance on software individualization
⎯ Part 143: Forms-based dialogues
⎯ Part 310: Visibility, aesthetics and ergonomics of pixel defects [Technical Report]
Design guidance for interactive voice response (IVR) applications and evaluation methods for the design of
physical input devices are to form the subjects of future parts 154 and 411.
ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
Introduction
Human-centred design is an approach to interactive systems development that aims to make systems usable
and useful by focusing on the users, their needs and requirements, and by applying human
factors/ergonomics, and usability knowledge and techniques. This approach enhances effectiveness and
efficiency, improves human well-being, user satisfaction, accessibility and sustainability; and counteracts
possible adverse effects of use on human health, safety and performance.
There is a substantial body of human factors/ergonomics and usability knowledge about how human-centred
design can be organized and used effectively. This part of ISO 9241 aims to make this information available to
help those responsible for managing hardware and software design and re-design processes to identify and
plan effective and timely human-centred design activities.
The human-centred approach to design described in this part of ISO 9241 complements existing systems
design approaches. It can be incorporated in approaches as diverse as object-oriented, waterfall and rapid
application development.
The principles of human-centred design and the related activities have not changed substantially since
ISO 13407 was produced and have been validated by ten years of application. This part of ISO 9241 reflects
this by making requirements as well as recommendations.

vi © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 9241-210:2010(E)

Ergonomics of human–system interaction —
Part 210:
Human-centred design for interactive systems
1 Scope
This part of ISO 9241 provides requirements and recommendations for human-centred design principles and
activities throughout the life cycle of computer-based interactive systems. It is intended to be used by those
managing design processes, and is concerned with ways in which both hardware and software components of
interactive systems can enhance human–system interaction.
NOTE 1 Computer-based interactive systems vary in scale and complexity. Examples include off-the-shelf (shrink-wrap)
software products, custom office systems, process control systems, automated banking systems, Web sites and
applications, and consumer products such as vending machines, mobile phones and digital television. Throughout this
part of ISO 9241, such systems are generally referred to as products, systems or services although, for simplicity,
sometimes only one term is used.
This part of ISO 9241 provides an overview of human-centred design activities. It does not provide detailed
coverage of the methods and techniques required for human-centred design, nor does it address health or
safety aspects in detail. Although it addresses the planning and management of human-centred design, it
does not address all aspects of project management.
The information in this part of ISO 9241 is intended for use by those responsible for planning and managing
projects that design and develop interactive systems. It therefore addresses technical human factors and
ergonomics issues only to the extent necessary to allow such individuals to understand their relevance and
importance in the design process as a whole. It also provides a framework for human factors and usability
professionals involved in human-centred design. Detailed human factors/ergonomics, usability and
accessibility issues are dealt with more fully in a number of standards including other parts of ISO 9241 (see
Annex A) and ISO 6385, which sets out the broad principles of ergonomics.
The requirements and recommendations in this part of ISO 9241 can benefit all parties involved in human-
centred design and development. Annex B provides a checklist that can be used to support claims of
conformance with this part of ISO 9241.
NOTE 2 Annex A and the Bibliography contain information about relevant related standards.
2 Terms and definitions
For this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
2.1
accessibility
〈interactive systems〉 usability of a product, service, environment or facility by people with the widest range of
capabilities
[ISO 9241-171]
ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
2.2
context of use
users, tasks, equipment (hardware, software and materials), and the physical and social environments in
which a product is used
[ISO 9241-11:1998]
2.3
effectiveness
accuracy and completeness with which users achieve specified goals
[ISO 9241-11:1998]
2.4
efficiency
resources expended in relation to the accuracy and completeness with which users achieve goals
[ISO 9241-11:1998]
2.5
ergonomics
study of human factors
scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among human and other elements of a
system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize
human well-being and overall system performance
[ISO 6385:2004]
2.6
goal
intended outcome
[ISO 9241-11:1998]
2.7
human-centred design
approach to systems design and development that aims to make interactive systems more usable by focusing
on the use of the system and applying human factors/ergonomics and usability knowledge and techniques
NOTE 1 The term “human-centred design” is used rather than “user-centred design” in order to emphasize that this part
of ISO 9241 also addresses impacts on a number of stakeholders, not just those typically considered as users. However,
in practice, these terms are often used synonymously.
NOTE 2 Usable systems can provide a number of benefits, including improved productivity, enhanced user well-being,
avoidance of stress, increased accessibility and reduced risk of harm.
2.8
interactive system
combination of hardware, software and/or services that receives input from, and communicates output to,
users
NOTE This includes, where appropriate, packaging, branding, user documentation, on-line help, support and training.
2.9
prototype
〈interactive system〉 representation of all or part of an interactive system, that, although limited in some way,
can be used for analysis, design and evaluation
NOTE A prototype may be as simple as a sketch or static mock-up or as complicated as a fully functioning interactive
system with more or less complete functionality.
2 © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved

ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
2.10
satisfaction
freedom from discomfort and positive attitudes towards the use of the product
[ISO 9241-11:1998]
2.11
stakeholder
individual or organization having a right, share, claim or interest in a system or in its possession of
characteristics that meet their needs and expectations
[ISO/IEC 15288:2008]
2.12
task
activities required to achieve a goal
[ISO 9241-11:1998]
2.13
usability
extent to which a system, product or service can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with
effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use
NOTE Adapted from ISO 9241-11:1998.
2.14
user
person who interacts with the product
[ISO 9241-11:1998]
2.15
user experience
person's perceptions and responses resulting from the use and/or anticipated use of a product, system or
service
NOTE 1 User experience includes all the users' emotions, beliefs, preferences, perceptions, physical and psychological
responses, behaviours and accomplishments that occur before, during and after use.
NOTE 2 User experience is a consequence of brand image, presentation, functionality, system performance,
interactive behaviour and assistive capabilities of the interactive system, the user's internal and physical state resulting
from prior experiences, attitudes, skills and personality, and the context of use.
NOTE 3 Usability, when interpreted from the perspective of the users' personal goals, can include the kind of
perceptual and emotional aspects typically associated with user experience. Usability criteria can be used to assess
aspects of user experience.
2.16
user interface
all components of an interactive system (software or hardware) that provide information and controls for the
user to accomplish specific tasks with the interactive system
[ISO 9241-110:2006]
ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
2.17
validation
confirmation, through the provision of objective evidence, that the requirements for a specific intended use or
application have been fulfilled
[ISO 9000:2005]
NOTE Validation is the set of activities ensuring and gaining confidence that a system is able to accomplish its
intended use, goals and objectives (i.e. meet stakeholder requirements) in the intended operational environment.
2.18
verification
confirmation, through the provision of objective evidence, that specified requirements have been fulfilled
[ISO 9000:2005]
NOTE Verification is a set of activities that compares a system or system element against the required characteristics.
This can include, but is not limited to, specified requirements, design description and the system itself.
3 Rationale for adopting human-centred design
Using a human-centred approach to design and development has substantial economic and social benefits for
users, employers and suppliers. Highly usable systems and products tend to be more successful both
technically and commercially. In some areas, such as consumer products, purchasers will pay a premium for
well-designed products and systems. Support and help-desk costs are reduced when users can understand
and use products without additional assistance. In most countries, employers and suppliers have legal
obligations to protect users from risks to their health, and safety and human-centred methods can reduce
these risks (e.g. musculoskeletal risks). Systems designed using human-centred methods improve quality, for
example, by:
a) increasing the productivity of users and the operational efficiency of organizations;
b) being easier to understand and use, thus reducing training and support costs;
c) increasing usability for people with a wider range of capabilities and thus increasing accessibility;
d) improving user experience;
e) reducing discomfort and stress;
f) providing a competitive advantage, for example by improving brand image;
g) contributing towards sustainability objectives.
The complete benefits of human-centred design can be determined by taking into account the total life cycle
costs of the product, system or service, including conception, design, implementation, support, use,
maintenance and, finally, disposal. Taking a human-centred design approach contributes to other aspects of
system design, for example, by improving the identification and definition of functional requirements. Taking a
human-centred design approach also increases the likelihood of completing the project successfully, on time,
and within budget. Using appropriate human-centred methods can reduce the risk of the product failing to
meet stakeholder requirements or being rejected by its users.
Examples of outputs from human-centred design activities are illustrated in Table 1.
4 © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved

ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
Table 1 — Examples of outputs from human-centred design activities
Activities Outputs from human-centred design
Understand and specify the context of use Context of use description
Specify the user requirements Context of use specification
User needs description
User requirements specification
Produce design solutions to meet these requirements User interaction specification
User interface specification
Implemented user interface
Evaluate the designs against requirements Evaluation results
Conformance test results
Long-term monitoring results
NOTE More detailed information on each output is to be found in ISO/IEC/TR 25060.
4 Principles of human-centred design
4.1 General
This part of ISO 9241 provides a framework for human-centred design. It does not assume any particular
design process, nor does it describe all the different activities necessary to ensure effective systems design. It
is complementary to existing design methodologies and provides a human-centred perspective that can be
integrated into different design and development processes in a way that is appropriate to the particular
context. All the human-centred design activities identified in Clause 6 are applicable (to a greater or lesser
extent) at any stage in the development of a system.
Whatever the design process and allocation of responsibilities and roles adopted, a human-centred approach
should follow the principles listed below (and described in 4.2 to 4.7):
a) the design is based upon an explicit understanding of users, tasks and environments (see 4.2);
b) users are involved throughout design and development (see 4.3);
c) the design is driven and refined by user-centred evaluation (see 4.4);
d) the process is iterative (see 4.5);
e) the design addresses the whole user experience (see 4.6);
f) the design team includes multidisciplinary skills and perspectives (see 4.7).
4.2 The design is based upon an explicit understanding of users, tasks and environments
Products, systems and services should be designed to take account of the people who will use them as well
as other stakeholder groups, including those who might be affected (directly or indirectly) by their use.
Therefore, all relevant user and stakeholder groups should be identified. Constructing systems based on an
inappropriate or incomplete understanding of user needs is one of the major sources of systems failure.
ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
The extent to which products are usable and accessible depends on the context, i.e. the specified users,
having specified goals, performing specified tasks in a specified environment (see ISO 9241-11). For example,
the kind of interface that provides good user experience for a young person downloading music on a phone
may be completely inappropriate for accessing corporate data on a PDA (personal digital assistant). The
characteristics of the users, tasks and environment are called the context of use. Guidance on how to gather
relevant information is provided in 6.2. The context of use is a major source of information for establishing
requirements (see 6.3) and an essential input to the design process.
4.3 Users are involved throughout design and development
Involving users in design and development provides a valuable source of knowledge about the context of use,
the tasks, and how users are likely to work with the future product, system or service. User involvement
should be active, whether by participating in design, acting as a source of relevant data or evaluating solutions.
The people who are involved should have capabilities, characteristics and experience that reflect the range of
users for whom the system is being designed. The nature and frequency of this involvement can vary
throughout design and development, depending on the type of project. The effectiveness of user involvement
increases as the interaction between the developers and the users increases.
When custom-made systems are being developed, the intended users and the tasks performed can be
directly linked to the development process. The organization procuring the system has the opportunity to have
a direct influence on the design as it emerges, and those who are actually going to be working with the future
system can take part in evaluating proposed solutions. Such involvement and participation can also increase
user acceptance and commitment.
When generic or consumer products are being developed, the user population is dispersed and products can
be targeted at groups of users with particular characteristics. It is still important that users or appropriate
representatives be involved in development so that the user and task requirements relevant to the intended
user group(s) can be identified for inclusion in the system specification to provide feedback through testing of
the proposed design solutions.
4.4 The design is driven and refined by user-centred evaluation
Feedback from users is a critical source of information in human-centred design. Evaluating designs with
users and improving them based on their feedback provides an effective means of minimizing the risk of a
system not meeting user or organizational needs (including those requirements that are hidden or difficult to
specify explicitly). Such evaluation allows preliminary design solutions to be tested against “real world”
scenarios, with the results being fed back into progressively refined solutions. User-centred evaluation should
also take place as part of the final acceptance of the product to confirm that requirements have been met.
Feedback from users during operational use identifies long-term issues and provides input to future design.
NOTE The term “user-centred” is used here to emphasize that this evaluation is made from the user's perspective.
4.5 The process is iterative
The most appropriate design for an interactive system cannot typically be achieved without iteration.
NOTE 1 In this context, iteration means repeating a sequence of steps until a desired outcome is achieved.
NOTE 2 In development methods that consist of mini-development cycles, human-centred activities can be iterated for
individual parts of the system and again at a macro level across the whole product, system or service.
Iteration should be used to progressively eliminate uncertainty during the development of interactive systems.
Iteration implies that descriptions, specifications and prototypes are revised and refined when new information
is obtained in order to minimize the risk of the system under development failing to meet user requirements.
The complexity of human–computer interaction means that it is impossible to specify completely and
accurately every detail of every aspect of the interaction at the beginning of development. Many of the needs
and expectations of users and other stakeholders that will impact on the design of the interaction only emerge
in the course of development, as the designers refine their understanding of the users and their tasks, and as
users are better able to express their needs in response to potential solutions.
6 © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved

ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
Iteration of proposed solutions incorporating feedback from a user perspective provides a means of mitigating
risk.
EXAMPLE 1 Feedback from a user perspective is used to update the intended context of use, to revise the
requirements and to refine proposed design solutions.
EXAMPLE 2 The requirements specification is refined iteratively by using scenarios, early mock-ups, and prototypes,
to obtain feedback from users on whether these incorporate the user requirements correctly and completely.
The interaction between human-centred and other aspects of the design can also result in the need for
iteration — for example to take account of the manufacturability of a product, the impact on the production
environment or changes in the market-place.
4.6 The design addresses the whole user experience
User experience is a consequence of the presentation, functionality, system performance, interactive
behaviour, and assistive capabilities of an interactive system, both hardware and software. It is also a
consequence of the user's prior experiences, attitudes, skills, habits and personality. There is a common
misconception that usability refers solely to making products easy to use. However, the concept of usability
used in ISO 9241 is broader and, when interpreted from the perspective of the users' personal goals, can
include the kind of perceptual and emotional aspects typically associated with user experience, as well as
issues such as job satisfaction and the elimination of monotony.
Designing for the user's experience involves considering, where appropriate, organizational impacts, user
documentation, on-line help, support and maintenance (including help desks and customer contact points),
training, long-term use, and product packaging (including the “out-of-box experience”). The user's experience
of previous or other systems and issues such as branding and advertising should also be considered. The
need to consider these different factors and their interdependencies has implications for the project plan (see
Clause 5).
Users' strengths, limitations, preferences and expectations should be taken into account when specifying
which activities are carried out by the users and which functions are carried out by the technology.
NOTE 1 In safety-critical and mission-critical systems, it might be more important to ensure the effectiveness or
efficiency of the system than to satisfy user preferences.
Design decisions related to this allocation of function determine the extent to which a given job, task, function
or responsibility is to be automated or assigned to human performance. The decisions are based on many
factors. These include the relative capabilities and limitations of humans versus technology in terms of
reliability, speed, accuracy, strength, flexibility of response, financial cost, the importance of successful or
timely accomplishment of tasks, safety, and user satisfaction (both short-term, e.g. as comfort and pleasure,
and long-term, e.g. as health, well-being and job satisfaction). Basing such decisions solely on those functions
the technology is capable of performing and then simply allocating the remaining system functions to users is
likely to result in an ineffective design. Allocation of function is further described in 6.4.2.2.
Representative users should generally be involved in these decisions.
NOTE 2 “Representative” in this context means corresponding appropriately to the target end-user population.
The resulting human activities should form a set of tasks that is meaningful as a whole to the users. This is
particularly important for custom-made organizational systems where system use supports major elements of
the users' jobs. For further guidance, see ISO 9241-2 and ISO 10075.
ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
4.7 The design team includes multidisciplinary skills and perspectives
Human-centred design teams do not have to be large, but the team should be sufficiently diverse to
collaborate over design and implementation trade-off decisions at appropriate times. The following skill areas
and viewpoints could be needed in the design and development team:
a) human factors and ergonomics, usability, accessibility, human-computer interaction, user research;
b) users and other stakeholder groups (or those that can represent their perspectives);
c) application domain expertise, subject matter expertise;
d) marketing, branding, sales, technical support and maintenance, health and safety;
e) user interface, visual and product design;
f) technical writing, training, user support;
g) user management, service management and corporate governance;
h) business analysis, systems analysis;
i) systems engineering, hardware and software engineering, programming, production/manufacturing and
maintenance;
j) human resources, sustainability and other stakeholders.
Projects benefit from additional creativity and ideas from the interaction and collaboration of team members
who, collectively, have an extensive skill base. An additional benefit of a multidisciplinary and multi-perspective
approach is that team members become more aware of the constraints and realities of the other disciplines;
for example, technical experts can become more sensitized to user issues and users can become more aware
of technical constraints.
5 Planning human-centred design
5.1 General
Human-centred design shall be planned and integrated into all phases of the product life cycle, i.e. conception,
analysis, design, implementation, testing and maintenance.
5.2 Responsibility
Those responsible for planning the project shall consider the relative importance of human factors/ergonomics
in the project by evaluating:
a) how usability relates to the purpose and use of the product, system or service (e.g. size, number of users,
relationship with other systems, safety or health issues, accessibility, specialist application, extreme
environments);
b) the levels of the various types of risk that might result from poor usability (e.g. financial, poor product
differentiation, safety, required level of usability, acceptance);
c) the nature of the development environment (e.g. size of project, time to market, range of technologies,
internal or external project, type of contract).
NOTE 1 Underestimating the extent of user interaction is a common feature of projects that do not plan human-centred
design appropriately, such as a system initially intended to be fully automated but that ends up requiring significant user
interaction.
8 © ISO 2010 – All rights reserved

ISO 9241-210:2010(E)
In general, the aim is to select the most appropriate techniques and procedures in order to identify and
mitigate human–system risks.
NOTE 2 Descriptions of methods for implementing human-centred design activities can be found in ISO/TR 16982.
Details of human-centred design processes that can be used to implement the guidance in this part of ISO 9241 can be
found in ISO/TR 18529. ISO/TR 18529 uses the ISO standard format for process models and which also contains
processes for ensuring human-centred design content in systems strategy and the introduction and operation of interactive
systems. Details of the processes used by an enterprise in order to define and address the wider range of product and
process issues raised by the human-centred approach can be found in ISO/PAS 18152. Further guidance on a human-
centred approach to systems where dependability is critical is given in IEC 62508.
5.3 Content of plan
The planning of human-centred design shall include:
a) identifying appropriate methods and resources for the activities described in Clause 6;
b) defining procedures for integrating these activities and their outputs with other system development
activities;
c) identifying the individuals and the organization(s) responsible for the human-centred design activities and
the range of skills and viewpoints they provide;
d) developing effective procedures for establishing feedback and communication on human-centred design
activities as they affect other design activities and “trade-offs”, and methods for documenting outputs from
these activities;
e) agreeing on appropriate milestones for human-centred activities that are integrated into the overall design
and development process;
f) agreeing on suitable timescales to allow iteration, use of feedback and possible design changes to be
incorporated into the project schedule.
5.4 Integration with project plan
The plan for human-centred design shall form part of the overall project plan. To ensure that it is followed
through on and implemented effectively, the plan for human-centred design should be subject to the same
project disciplines (e.g. responsibilities, change control) as other key activities. The human-centred design
aspects of the project plan should be reviewed and revised appropriately as requirements change throughout
the life of the project.
5.5 Timing and resources
Project planning shall allocate time and resources to human-centred activities. This shall include time for
iteration and the incorporation of user feedback, and for evaluating whether the design solution satisfies the
user requirements.
Additional time should also be allocated to communication among design team participants and to reconciling
potential conflicts and trade-offs that involve human–system issues. Extra communication and discussion to
identify and resolve
...