Design for Context

Specializing in user-centered design and usability, Design for Context helps businesses and government agencies design information technology (IT) products—such as web applications, software, and web sites—that are easy to use and understand. We also help to establish sustainable user-centered design within organizations by integrating it with existing software development process and by providing education and mentoring.

What do you need?

We can help you:

  • Find out why people are having trouble locating information or completing tasks
  • Improve user productivity to achieve organizational goals
  • Translate your users’ needs into user and business requirements, resulting in an easy to use application or web site
  • Build a communication bridge between users, developers, and other stakeholders

What does “design for context” mean?

Ease of use doesn’t happen by accident, but by design. Good design of IT products depends on an understanding of context, which is a combination of factors about the situation in which the product will be used, including:

  • The characteristics and experiences of the people who will use the products
  • Their tasks and goals
  • Their work environment
  • The capabilities and limitations of the technology
  • The goals of the organization.

When a product “fits” well into its context, it is easy to use.

Getting started

If you want to make your product or web site easier to use, but don’t have a large budget, we can help you get going with these quick and easy services:

  • Expert reviews: In just a few days, we can review your existing product or web site and provide actionable recommendations to improve the design and set the direction for future enhancements.
  • Training: We can provide a pre-packaged or customized course on conducting user research, user-centered design, or semantic web design, to help get your team ready.
  • Coaching: If you want to “do it yourself,” but just need help getting started, we can provide up-front guidance to your team, with periodic follow-ups for advice and input as your project continues.