Whiplash Team, 26 September 2025
User-centred design: from visual impact to real usefulness
Design has moved beyond being purely visual to become a strategic tool aimed at solving real needs. In this new paradigm, aesthetics give way to experience, and the user becomes the axis of every creative decision.
For decades, graphic design focused on generating impact through shapes, colours and composition. That visual dimension remains important, but it is no longer enough. The proliferation of digital platforms, devices and usage contexts has meant that design must also respond to functionality, accessibility and user expectations.
User-centred design takes an approach in which decisions are not based on the designer’s taste or prevailing trends, but on a deep understanding of who will use the product, service or interface, in what context and for what purpose. As Don Norman, one of the fathers of experience design, notes: “User-centred design starts with a good understanding of people and their needs.”
Understand before you create
The first step in any user-centred design process is research. Understanding the habits, motivations, limitations and contexts of the people a brand serves prevents false assumptions and enables relevant solutions.
This approach calls for techniques such as in-depth interviews, contextual observation and usability testing. And it is not exclusive to digital design: it can equally be applied to packaging, editorial projects, spatial design and brand communications.
A notable example is the redesign of nutritional labelling in the UK. The Food Standards Agency’s “traffic light” colour scheme was the outcome of research into how people interpret nutritional information. It succeeded in improving consumer understanding and decision-making in supermarkets.
Designing experiences, not just objects
In a market where competition is often played out in user experience, design becomes a decisive differentiator. It is not simply about an intuitive website or a sleek app interface: it is about ensuring that every interaction with the brand—from the first click to after-sales support—is crafted to ease, guide and add value.
User-centred design reduces friction, builds trust and increases satisfaction. And the business case is clear. A McKinsey study found that companies investing in user-centred design outperform competitors by 32% in revenue and 56% in total shareholder return.
Beyond the interface: design as culture
Adopting a user-centred approach is not only a matter of methodology but of culture. It requires fostering empathy across the organisation, opening channels of listening, and being ready to iterate based on real feedback. It means recognising that design is not something “delivered” at the end, but an ongoing practice of improvement.
This is why today’s leaders in customer experience do not stand out solely because of talented designers, but because they have embedded design as a way of thinking. Companies like Airbnb, IBM and Spotify have adopted user-centred models that involve diverse profiles—not only creatives—and place people at the core of every strategic decision.
