User’s capabilities and limitations identification in design process

Abstract

Correct identification of human capabilities and limitations is essential when designing objects, activities or environments that must facilitate the accomplishment of human needs. Expansion of human knowledge provides invaluable input to Design discipline but in practice, such tools, techniques and technologies are quite distant from being directly applicable by the design practitioner, requiring multiple specialists (physiologists, psychologists, anthropologists and others) to translate the findings into useful information for design process. Design process is been permanently modified not only because required objects are each time more intricate or specific, but because the way of gathering necessary to the process incoming data becomes more complex. Describing a wide range of objective or subjective approaches to define User’s characteristics should help developing design study programs as well as would be a helpful tool for practitioners of Design to be aware of where and how to look at when dealing with User’s characteristics specifications.