User-centered design is a philosophy and a process in which the needs, wants, and limitations of the end user of an interface or document are given extensive attention at each stage of the design process. It is often seen as an offshoot of the usability movement, and a progenitor of the experience design and interaction design movements.
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Luke has made some great slides about Social Web Application Design, saying some very sensible things very well. I particularly like the 'System' diagram that shows how, when thinking about a simple photo, how it can be connected to other entities and related, aggregated and re-presented.
Smith, Tom. Other Blog, The (2006). Articles>Web Design>Community Building>User Centered Design
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The Software for Cultures and the Cultures in Software 
Software is viewed as an artifact which interacts with cultures of societies in which it functions. Software manufacturers make efforts to adapt the appearance of their products to aesthetic and historical values of the markets in which they are sold (“software for cultures”). It is well known that software embeds behavioral and organizational principles that are culture-determined (“cultures in software”). Internet and e-commerce bring these phenomena into the fore of the debate on societal implications of Information Technology. The paper argues for a research agenda on the multifaceted interactions between software and culture.
Kersten, Gregory E., Stan Matwin, Sunil J. Noronha and Mik A. Kersten. University of Ottawa (1999). Articles>User Centered Design>Software
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Review: Some Reflections on the Emergence of a Profession 
Producing Quality Technical Information played a major role in the shift from product-oriented information to user-oriented information. It brought to a large community of technical communicators an awareness of the role that technical information should play: not a description of a technical product or process but, rather, a description of what people need to do to use the product or perform the process. This shift in focus -- from product to user -- led to many changes in our profession and in our professional careers. No longer mere documentors of what others had done, we emerged as professionals who added value and usability to the project on which we worked.
Grice, Roger A. Journal of Computer Documentation (2002). Articles>Reviews>User Centered Design
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Sorting Techniques for User-Centered Information Design 
Card, or pile, sorting has long been used in social sciences to identify how humans group words or concepts together. Can such sorting also inform information design? Can we use it to better anticipate what users are looking for when they open a book, a Help system, a library catalog, or a Web site? A review of literature and a variety of published case studies suggests how various sorting techniques are suited to different research goals. How to carry out a sorting study is discussed, and analysis methods applicable to the goals for an information design project are reviewed. We look at automation tools as a means of reducing analysis tedium, and as a means to expand a potential study audience via remote participation.
Deaton, Mary M. Techne (2003). Design>User Centered Design>Methods>Card Sorting
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The clean-n-simple site map gets a nice haircut and and a shoe-shine as Kim Siever shows us how to hook custom bullet styles to troublesome nested lists.
Siever, Kim. List Apart, A (2005). Design>Web Design>User Centered Design>Sitemaps
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Stalking the User: Practical Field Research
Describes how technical communicators can use field research--observing people in their workplaces, homes, and schools--to gain a better understanding of user behavior.
Rosenbaum, Stephanie L. Intercom (2003). Articles>Usability>Methods>User Centered Design
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Standard Metrics Revisited: Bounce Rate
Bounce rate is a beautiful way to measure the quality of traffic coming to your website. It is almost instantly accessible in any web analytics tool. It is easy to understand, hard to misunderstand and can be applied to any of your efforts.
Kaushik, Avinash. Occam's Razor (2007). Design>Web Design>User Centered Design>Log Analysis
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Starting a Career in User Experience
This article is based upon my own experience transitioning from a career in corporate-world project management into the field of user experience design. With dedication, some talent, a few classes, and a healthy dose of self-promotion, the transition was fairly easy, very enjoyable, and took about two years. I have outlined a few key points to consider if you are planning to start a career in user experience design.
Haid, Marcus. Adaptive Path (2003). Careers>Usability>User Centered Design>User Experience
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Stop Obsessing About Conversion Rate
Perhaps there is no other single metric that is abused as much as conversion rate, none that is perhaps more detrimental to solving for a holistic customer experience on the website because of the company behavior it drives.
Kaushik, Avinash. Occam's Razor (2006). Articles>Web Design>User Centered Design>Log Analysis
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Redesign your information; write topics, not books.
Hackos, JoAnn T. ComTech Services (2001). Articles>Documentation>User Centered Design
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Strategies for Sizing UCD Projects
When discussing strategies for sizing UCD projects with consultants, it quickly becomes evident that there seem to be as many strategies as there are consultants. This document will define and describe commonly used strategies, identify each strategy’s scope (i.e., whether it applies to design, research, or evaluation), suggest situations in which each strategy would be best suited, and identify pros, cons, and caveats to its use.
Usability Body of Knowledge. Articles>User Centered Design>Project Management
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Strategies for Sizing UCD Projects
Sizing UCD projects presents special challenges to usability practitioners and consultants. Each project and UCD methodology comes with its own set of variables that makes it difficult to accurately estimate resource requirements and completion times. The goal of this effort is to discover best practices for effectively âï¿ï¿sizingâï¿ï¿ UCD projects.
James, Janice and Carol Righi. User Experience Magazine (2005). Articles>User Centered Design>Project Management
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Strategies for Usability: Putting ISO Standards to Practice
Is your documentation and training a solution for complex product design? Whether designing software, hardware, documentation, online help, or a telecommunication network, a strategy for usability is essential to user-friendly design.
Dick, David J. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Usability>User Centered Design
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Success Factors in Developing Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS)
This session examines the factors that underlie a successful implementation of an electronic performance support system (EPSS). It introduces the concept of performance support and differentiates between supporting a software application and supporting a person performing work. An electronic performance support system being used in a major corporation to improve the performance of documentation developers is demonstrated. The results of a survey of implementors of electronic performance support systems to gague success factors is presented.
Hyman, Francine N. and Thomas W. Jury. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>User Centered Design>EPSS
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Success with User-Centered Design Management
With the proliferation of digital products, including computers, desktop and Web-based applications, and mobile and embedded devices, the quality of the user experience (UX) has become one of the key determinants in the success of competing products. Productivity, entertainment, and business-application programs for non-technical users in particular must have 'intuitive' interfaces.
Ashley, Jeremy and Kristin Desmond. uiGarden (2005). Design>User Centered Design>Project Management>User Experience
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Supporting Customers' Decision-Making Process
When people buy things, they engage in a decision-making process. Research shows that one of the major problems with commerce sites is that they fail in supporting the customers in this process. By understanding their needs and concerns as they progress through the decision-making cycle, we can build better and more successful commerce sites.
Olsen, Henrik. GUUUI (2003). Design>Web Design>User Centered Design>E Commerce
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In order to gain a better understanding of the designer’s intentions with the Arthritis Source, we conducted an interview with the designer, Rick Matsen, on November 15, 1999. Further, we wanted to gather more information that would generate potential research questions for the PETTT team as well as re-design ideas for the D3 team. Below is a summary of Rick’s interview compiled from observations of four researchers, followed by the implications for re-design and research questions.
Fondiller, Julianne, Jennifer Turns, Jake Burghardt, Brett Shelton and Scott Macklin. PETTT (2000). Articles>Web Design>User Centered Design
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Tacit Knowledge, Knowledge Management, and Active User Participation in Web Site Navigation
One of the reasons that people who seek out information on web sites often feel powerless is that when they do not find what they are looking for, their own tacit sense of what they know is not validated. If tacit knowledge is not calculated for in the design of a web site, it puts the people navigating the site in the position of passive observers. The primary reason for this can be found in the rigid organization schemes in place on many sites. Even the most sophisticated manuals that offer methods for designing web site architectures fail to suggest how they can replicate what is known in knowledge management circles as an “enabling environment.”
Applen, J.D. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Articles>User Centered Design>Knowledge Management>Web Design
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Taking the "You" Out of User: My Experience Using Personas
Meg Hourihan, co-founder of Pyra - the company behind Blogger, shares her team's experience in the discovery of Alan Cooper and the use of personas. Through their practical application, she tells the tale of how a product cycle was turned on its ear as the team discovered they weren't anything like their user.
Hourihan, Meg. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Design>User Centered Design>Methods>Personas
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Talking-Head Video Is Boring Online
Eyetracking data show that users are easily distracted when watching video on websites, especially when the video shows a talking head and is optimized for broadcast rather than online viewing.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2006). Design>Web Design>User Centered Design>Video
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Task Analysis, User-Centered Design, and Group Decision Making
Task analysis information is gathered from present and future customers within a clearly specified domain. Participants in the session are carefully selected to be representative of the target market. Information is gathered in a way to reduce the potential for bias. Participants provide information in their own words, group data in ways meaningful to them, prioritize tasks according to their business needs, and provide extensive detail on their most important tasks. By session end, there is group consensus defining the most important user tasks. And, through use of our meeting software, we have captured all the information for ready analysis.
Rauch, Thyra L., Candace Soderston and Rick LaRose. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>User Centered Design>Collaboration
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This site is dedicated to increasing awareness of the benefits derived from the use of 'user-centered' development methods in the creation of advanced technological solutions to complex social and business problems. The primary focus of our editorial content is on screen-based products and services. In the strong belief that knowledge is power and collaboration expands knowledge we have created this site with the hope of building an executive resource for user-centered design information.
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Teaming Up to Define Your Users
Demonstrates how technical communicators can be leaders in the effort to create thorough descriptions of a product's users.
Filippo, Elizabeth G. Intercom (2002). Design>User Centered Design>Assessment>Personas
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Tech Writing 2.0: Special Report on New Trends in User Documentation
This report outlines the developments in what many are calling "Web 2.0" and the impact that these developments may have on technical and user documentation. We've called these trends "Tech Writing 2.0". Tech Writing 2.0 promises a new means of communication that business can use to promote and support their products and services. This means that the nature of technical communication will change.
Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2006). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>User Centered Design
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This worksheet is designed to help you determine the basic technical requirements and target goals for your audience. The first section contains a breakdown of information designed to help you determine your target browser, platform, connection speed and technologies being used. The second section will help you determine the extent of your back-end technology. Take the information you know about your current audience to help determine answers to these questions.
