ISO 9241-210-2019 PDF

Full title and description

ISO 9241-210:2019 — Ergonomics of human-system interaction — Part 210: Human-centred design for interactive systems. This international standard provides requirements and recommendations for applying human-centred design (HCD) principles and activities across the life cycle of computer-based interactive systems (products, systems or services) to improve usability and overall human–system interaction.

Abstract

ISO 9241-210:2019 sets out a framework of human-centred design principles and activities intended for those who plan and manage design projects and for human factors/usability professionals. It gives an overview of HCD activities (planning, research, specifying user requirements, producing design solutions, and evaluating against user needs) and offers recommendations rather than detailed method-level instructions; detailed techniques are covered in other standards. Annex B contains a checklist to support conformance claims.

General information

• Status: Published (current).
• Publication date: July 2019 (2019-07).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 13.180 (Ergonomics); 35.180 (IT terminal and other peripheral equipment).
• Edition / version: Edition 2 (2019).
• Number of pages: 33 pages (ISO reference).

Scope

The standard provides requirements and recommendations for human-centred design principles and activities throughout the life cycle of computer-based interactive systems of varying scale and complexity (examples: shrink‑wrap software, custom office systems, process control, banking systems, web sites/apps, consumer devices such as vending machines and mobile phones). It focuses on planning and managing HCD and on ensuring that both hardware and software aspects of interactive systems enhance interaction; it does not give exhaustive method-level detail or cover health/safety comprehensively.

Key topics and requirements

• Human-centred design process model: plan HCD activities, understand and specify the context of use, specify user requirements, produce design solutions, evaluate designs against requirements.
• Principles of HCD: involve users throughout design, address the whole user experience, use iterative design and evaluation, consider the context of use, and balance stakeholders' needs.
• Recommendations for integrating HCD into lifecycle and project management (roles, responsibilities and planning for HCD activities).
• Guidance on documenting user requirements, selecting evaluation methods and using iterative evaluation to validate designs.
• Annex B: a conformance-support checklist to help demonstrate alignment with the standard's requirements.
• Notes on scope limits: the standard gives overview and requirements but refers to other ISO 9241 parts and ISO 6385 for detailed ergonomics, accessibility and specific techniques.

Typical use and users

Used by product managers, design managers, user‑experience and usability professionals, human factors/ergonomics specialists, systems engineers, developers and procurement teams to structure user-centred processes, plan HCD activities, define user requirements, and evidence usability-informed design decisions during system development and acquisition.

Related standards

ISO 9241 is a multipart series; relevant companion parts include ISO 9241-11 (usability guidance), ISO 9241-110 (interaction/dialogue principles), ISO 9241-171 (software accessibility guidance) and other 100/300/400 series parts covering software ergonomics, display requirements and input devices. ISO 9241-210:2019 replaces the earlier ISO 9241-210:2010 (which itself followed ISO 13407). For higher-level ergonomics principles see ISO 6385.

Keywords

human-centred design, HCD, usability, ergonomics, human–system interaction, user-centred design, user requirements, interaction design, ISO 9241, accessibility, iterative design

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 9241-210:2019 is an international standard that defines requirements and recommendations for applying human‑centred design principles to interactive computer-based systems to improve usability and user experience.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers the process and principles of human‑centred design across the system lifecycle (planning HCD, understanding context of use, specifying user requirements, creating design solutions, evaluating against requirements). It gives high‑level requirements and recommendations rather than detailed methods.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: UX and usability professionals, human factors specialists, design and project managers, systems engineers, developers and procurers who need to plan, run or assess human‑centred design activities for interactive systems.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: Current — the 2019 edition (Edition 2) published July 2019 is the active version; it superseded ISO 9241-210:2010.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is part of the ISO 9241 series on ergonomics of human‑system interaction (a multipart standard covering software ergonomics, display requirements, input devices, accessibility, etc.). ISO 9241-210 is the principal part addressing human‑centred design processes.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Human‑centred design, usability, ergonomics, user requirements, iterative evaluation, human–system interaction, accessibility, UX process.