[S-8] Usability, User Experience, and Business Strategy

The past twenty years have been tumultuous ones for the design community and those charged with educating future generations of designers. First we faced the challenge of applying traditional design practices to a host of new electronic products and user interfaces. Next we faced the realization that our traditional focus on the aesthetic now needed to be balanced with new demands for usability and functionality. Finally, once we achieved usable, functional product designs that were visually pleasing, we are now challenged to take our work to a yet higher level by designing the broader user experience as it relates to interacting with the product, service, and the larger business organization.

Our talk will highlight the evolution of our academic programs at Bentley, and how these programs have evolved to meet the changes highlighted above. We will also describe our Design and Usability Center and discuss how we collaborate with clients to improve the usability of their products and to differentiate their products in a competitive marketplace through a carefully engineered user experience.