The design focus is on what the users are doing and trying to do in the context of the larger real world activities in which they are involved.
[An element of the design is based on the user – to ensure that the design is appropriate for them – design brand, aesthetic or surface design of the product.]
As designers we can pay too close attention to users and what they say they want which can lead to timid, over conservative design that does little more than repeat the mistakes of the past in a shiny new package.
Activitity modelling and Participation Maps
Human activity can be understood at three levels of analysis: activity, action, and operation. An Activity Map represents how various activities fit together and provides a rich picture of their composition in terms of actions and operations.
Modeling techniques, such as card storming and card clustering, make it possible to quickly construct a rich activity model that inventories and organizes the full range of activities and actions that need to be taken into account in a design.