The User at the Center
How Rosenfeld & Morville's Approach Drives Exceptional UX
May 26, 2025
Read Time : 5 min
In the digital realm, user experience (UX) reigns supreme. A website, application, or digital product can be visually stunning, technically flawless, and packed with features, but if it’s not a joy to use, it’s destined for digital oblivion. This is where user-centered design (UCD) steps in, a philosophy that places the needs, wants, and limitations of the end-user at the heart of the design process.
The Rosenfeld & Morville Blueprint for UCD
Peter Morville and Louis Rosenfeld, giants in the field of Information Architecture (IA), have laid a foundational framework for UCD. Their approach emphasizes making information environments intuitive, usable, and aligned with user needs, drawing from principles of both library science and user experience design. They identify key building blocks for user-centered information systems:
- Organization: Structuring content to match users’ mental models and tasks.
- Labeling: Using clear, consistent terminology that resonates with users and reduces ambiguity.
- Navigation: Designing pathways that help users move through content efficiently and intuitively.
- Search: Enabling users to find what they need quickly through effective search and retrieval mechanisms.
Rosenfeld and Morville also champion a holistic approach, often illustrated by the “three circles” model:
- User needs and behaviors
- Business goals and context
- Content (or information) structure
Designers must strike a balance among these three areas to ensure that solutions are not only usable and useful for users but also viable for the business and coherent in terms of content. Their methodology stresses:
- Continuous user involvement: Engaging users throughout the design process via research, testing, and feedback.
- Testing and iteration: Regularly evaluating and refining IA structures based on user input and behavioral data, ensuring that systems evolve with changing user needs and organizational goals.
- System-oriented perspective: Viewing users as integral parts of the systems they interact with and designing with an understanding of their cognitive, perceptual, and social characteristics.
UCD in Action: Real-World Examples
Several global brands have successfully applied User-Centered Design (UCD) principles to their websites, resulting in highly usable, intuitive, and engaging digital experiences.
- Apple: Apple’s website exemplifies UCD through its clean layout, simple navigation, and immersive product presentation.
- Dropbox: Dropbox has consistently focused on simplicity and usability.
- Amazon: Amazon’s website is renowned for prioritizing customer convenience.
- Airbnb: Airbnb’s website is praised for its inviting design, easy-to-use search tools, and personalized recommendations.
- Shopify: Shopify continuously improves its platform based on user feedback.
These examples demonstrate that UCD is not only a best practice but a proven strategy for global brands seeking to create websites that are both effective and enjoyable for their users.
In conclusion, Rosenfeld and Morville’s foundations for user-centered design are grounded in understanding users, structuring information environments to meet their needs, and maintaining a balance between usability, business objectives, and content integrity. Their approach is iterative, evidence-based, and strategic, making information architecture a critical discipline in the creation of effective, user-centered digital products.
Source:
Nelson, Meggie. Article. “How Web Accessibility Affects Consumers’ Purchase Intention” in SocialNomics
Morville, Peter, and Louis Rosenfeld. 2022. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web.
Moyers, Stephen. Article. “What These 7 Brands Can Teach You About UX” in ReadWrite.com
The User at the Center
How Rosenfeld & Morville's Approach Drives Exceptional UX
Di ranah digital, user experience (UX) memegang kendali tertinggi. Situs web, aplikasi, atau digital product bisa punya visual bagus dan penuh dengan fitur, tapi kalo gak enak untuk digunakan, ya buat apa? Nah, di sinilah user-centered design (UCD) hadir, sebuah filosofi yang menempatkan kebutuhan, keinginan, dan batasan end-user sebagai inti dari proses desain.
The Rosenfeld & Morville Blueprint for UCD
Peter Morville dan Louis Rosenfeld, tokoh terkemuka di bidang Information Architecture (IA), membuat foundational framework untuk UCD. Pendekatan mereka menekankan pembuatan lingkungan informasi yang intuitif, mudah digunakan, dan selaras dengan kebutuhan user, dengan memanfaatkan prinsip-prinsip dari ilmu perpustakaan dan desain user experience. Ada beberapa kunci sistem informasi yang user-centered:
- Organization (Organisasi): Menyusun konten dengan cara yang sesuai dengan model mental dan tugas pengguna.
- Labeling (Pelabelan): Menggunakan terminologi yang jelas, konsisten, dan beresonansi dengan pengguna untuk mengurangi ambiguitas.
- Navigation (Navigasi): Merancang jalur yang membantu pengguna bergerak melalui konten secara efisien dan intuitif.
- Search (Pencarian): Memungkinkan pengguna menemukan apa yang mereka butuhkan dengan cepat melalui mekanisme pencarian dan retrieval yang efektif.
Rosenfeld dan Morville juga memiliki pendekatan holistik, disebut dengan “tiga lingkaran”:
- Kebutuhan dan perilaku pengguna
- Tujuan dan konteks bisnis
- Struktur konten (atau informasi)
Desainer harus menyeimbangkan ketiga area ini untuk memastikan kalau solusi ini dapat digunakan dan bermanfaat bagi user, bisnis, dan konten digital. Metodologi mereka menekankan:
- Continuous user involvement (Keterlibatan pengguna berkelanjutan): Melibatkan pengguna di seluruh proses desain melalui penelitian, pengujian, dan feedback.
- Testing and iteration (Pengujian dan iterasi): Mengevaluasi dan menyempurnakan struktur IA secara teratur berdasarkan masukan pengguna dan data perilaku, buat mastiin kalau sistem berkembang seiring dengan perubahan kebutuhan user dan tujuan organisasi.
- System-oriented perspective (Perspektif berorientasi sistem): Melihat user sebagai bagian integral dari sistem yang digunakan, dan mendesain dengan pemahaman tentang karakteristik kognitif, perseptual, dan sosial mereka.
UCD in Action: Real-World Examples
Beberapa brand global telah berhasil menerapkan prinsip-prinsip UCD pada situs web mereka, dan nyiptain pengalaman digital yang sangat mudah digunakan, intuitif, dan menarik.
- Apple: Website Apple nerapin UCD melalui tata letaknya yang clean, navigasi yang sederhana, dan presentasi produk yang imersif.
- Dropbox: Dropbox secara konsisten berfokus pada kesederhanaan dan kemudahan penggunaan.
- Amazon: Situs web Amazon terkenal karena memprioritaskan kenyamanan pelanggan.
- Airbnb: Airbnb banyak dipuji karena inviting design, easy-to-use search tools, and personalized recommendations.
- Shopify: Shopify terus meningkatkan platformnya berdasarkan user feedback.
Contoh-contoh ini nunjukin kalau UCD jadi strategi yang terbukti bagi brand global yang mau menciptakan situs web yang efektif dan menyenangkan bagi pengguna mereka.
Kesimpulannya, teori Rosenfeld dan Morville (2002) untuk UCD berakar pada pemahaman pengguna, penataan lingkungan informasi untuk memenuhi kebutuhan user, dan menjaga keseimbangan antara kegunaan, tujuan bisnis, dan integritas konten. Pendekatan mereka bersifat iteratif, berbasis bukti, dan strategis, menjadikan arsitektur informasi sebagai disiplin ilmu yang penting dalam penciptaan produk digital yang efektif dan berpusat pada pengguna.
Source:
Nelson, Meggie. Article. “How Web Accessibility Affects Consumers’ Purchase Intention” in SocialNomics
Morville, Peter, and Louis Rosenfeld. 2022. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web.
Moyers, Stephen. Article. “What These 7 Brands Can Teach You About UX” in ReadWrite.com