Variants of a User Day

Focus

The type of User Day you use also depends on the current focus of the development project. Some aspects cannot be tested at all if the user interface is not fully implemented. Therefore, the focus of the User Day depends on the stage within the development cycle. At the beginning of a project, the focus is on the overall concept and the application structure. At the end of a project, the focus shifts to the final design of the user interface and detailed aspects of the interaction.

However, it is well known that the chance of correcting major usability problems in software decreases as implementation proceeds. User days sometimes have a greater effect when used very early in the development process. For example, if the User Day is conducted during the Design phase, major problems can be eliminated before the program code is written.

Depending on the focus (conceptual, revision of the application structure, design of the GUI, details such as style guide compliance), the User Day can differ greatly and its results can only be integrated into the design if they are checked at the right time of the development cycle.

Source:  User Day Toolkit