ISO standards for human-centered development
Human-centered design based on the HumanTech ideology is considered so important internationally that many of its areas and use cases have been standardized by the ISO. There are several “standard families,” but the ISO 9241 family in particular focuses on human-centered design. We encourage you to use these standards as tools for designing devices and user interfaces—and more broadly as guidelines for your organization!
ISO 9241 standards – a framework for human-centered design
ISO 9241 is a series of standards that sets out a framework for human-centered design (HCD) and ergonomics between humans and systems. The core idea is that technology should be designed on the terms of its users, i.e., humans. This is ensured by closely involving users in the entire development process, which in turn is based on extensively researched information about users, their tasks, and their operating environment.
The development process proceeds iteratively, with its direction being reviewed on the basis of continuous evaluation. The work requires a multidisciplinary team that combines technical, business, and human perspectives into a balanced whole.
The standard covers the entire life cycle of systems, from conception to decommissioning. The goal is to measure human-centered quality, which is reflected in smooth usability, accessibility, and a positive user experience. At the same time, it ensures that solutions are safe and promote the well-being of their users.
Strategically, ISO 9241 ensures that technology serves human goals, not the other way around. It translates human-centeredness into concrete business benefits. Smoother work increases productivity, reduces training needs, and improves safety by anticipating risks. The standard is a tool for management and designers wherever humans and machines meet—from traditional software to safety-critical industries and new AI solutions where controllability and predictability are prerequisites for success.
Here we highlight three parts of the standard family. They are general tools for developing both products and the organization itself. More detailed information and the standards themselves are available on the ISO or SFS websites. We are also happy to help, but we are not a standardization or auditing body.
Principles of human-system interaction (ISO 9241-110)
The ISO 9241-110 standard (Interaction principles) defines qualitative criteria for human-system interaction. Its aim is to guide the design and evaluation of user interfaces in a way that improves the usability, accessibility, and user experience of systems and reduces the disadvantages caused by their use.
Applying the standard helps to avoid common usability problems, such as unnecessary intermediate steps, misleading information, and difficult error recovery. For organizations, it serves as a strategic tool that transforms human-centered quality into measurable assets, reduces support costs, and minimizes the risk of building systems that people cannot or do not want to use.
The Standard can be purchased at ISO webstore here and at SFS webstore here. (Links open in new tabs)
Key principles of the standard:
- The system is suitable for the task when it supports the user in achieving their goals efficiently and without unnecessary strain (Suitability for the user’s tasks)
- The use, status, and possible functions of the system must be obvious to the user without external instructions or investigation (Self-descriptiveness)
- The system must function predictably and consistently, in accordance with the user’s previous experience and common practices (Conformity with user expectations)
- The system must support the user in finding, learning, and remembering functions (Learnability)
- The user must be able to control the pace, order, and interruptions of interaction (Controllability)
- The system must actively prevent errors, tolerate them, and help recover from them (Use error robustness)
- The system must present information in an inviting and motivating way, which promotes continued use and trust (User engagement)
Human-centred design for interactive systems (ISO 9241-210)
The ISO 9241-210 standard (Human-centered design for interactive systems) defines the principles and activities for human-centered design (HCD) of interactive systems. It views systems as tools for achieving human goals. The standard is method-independent (agnostic), meaning that it can be applied in agile models, waterfall models, and rapid application development.
The standard provides organizations with ways to improve their return on investment by increasing productivity, reducing support and training costs, and minimizing costly change costs in later stages. It transforms human-centered quality into a manageable process and strategic asset.
The Standard can be purchased at ISO webstore here and at SFS webstore here. (Links open in new tabs)
The primary goal of the standard is to make systems usable and useful by focusing on users, their needs and requirements, and by applying ergonomics and usability knowledge. It aims to
- Improve human well-being, user satisfaction, and accessibility.
- Increase efficiency and effectiveness in the use of systems.
- Reduce the disadvantages of use, such as health and safety risks or economic losses.
- Minimize the risks of system development, such as situations where the end product does not meet the needs of stakeholders or is rejected by users.
- Promote sustainability by considering the entire life cycle of the product and reducing waste through efficiency.
In order for the design process to be considered standard-compliant, it must adhere to the following six principles:
1. Design is based on a clear understanding of users, tasks, and environments
2. Users are involved throughout the design and development process
3. Design is guided and refined by user-centered testing and evaluation
4. The process is iterative
5. Design covers the entire user experience (UX)
6. The design team is multidisciplinary
The standard also defines the principles of the iterative core process. These consist of four interlinked work phases
1. Understanding and defining the context of use: Identifying user groups, their characteristics, goals, and technical, physical, and social environment.
2. Defining user requirements: Converting contextual information into testable characteristics that also take into account ergonomic standards and business objectives.
3. Development of design solutions: Create solutions, such as scenarios and prototypes, that make the designs visual and testable.
4. Evaluating the design against requirements: Conduct user testing or expert evaluations to ensure that the system is usable and meets the set objectives.
Processes for human-centred design within organizations (ISO 9241-220)
The ISO 9241-220 standard (“Processes for enabling, executing and assessing human-centred design within organizations”) is a process model that organizations can use to manage, implement, and assess their human-centered design (HCD) capabilities. Whereas part 210 of the series focuses on the design process of an individual project, part 220 broadens the perspective to include the management models and strategic leadership of the entire organization.
The standard transforms the human-centric approach from a subjective “feeling” into a manageable and measurable quality assurance process. It provides clear criteria for auditing an organization’s maturity. It also defines documents (such as Context of Use Description and Evaluation Report) that serve as evidence of high-quality development work. The standard provides the critical structure and credibility needed to move from mere technical execution to human-driven value creation.
The Standard can be purchased at ISO webstore here and at SFS webstore here. (Links open in new tabs)
The primary objective of the standard is to ensure that human-centered quality is achieved throughout the entire life cycle of systems, from strategy to product decommissioning. The objectives can be summarized as follows:
• Make human-centeredness the normal way of working in the organization and integrate it into the business strategy.
• Identify and minimize the economic, health, safety, and brand risks associated with poor usability.
• Demonstrate the value of HCD through increased productivity, reduced support costs, and improved market position.
• Provide tools to measure the organization’s current HCD maturity and identify gaps.
• Ensure that HCD is a seamless part of the system development life cycle (SDLC) and not a separate island.
At the heart of the standard’s logic is the idea that an organization’s processes must demonstrably produce human-centered quality, which consists of four areas:
- Usability
- Accessibility
- User Experience (UX)
- Avoidance of harm from use
The standard divides responsibilities and work phases into four hierarchical categories
1. Ensuring enterprise focus
This level is aimed at senior management. Its task is to incorporate human-centered quality into the company’s vision, strategy, and investment decisions, treating it as a strategic asset. The most important outputs are the creation of an HCD policy and the establishment of a continuous improvement program.
2. Enabling human-centered design
This category is intended for middle management and process owners. The focus is on infrastructure: defining common terminology, integrating HCD into official project models (such as Scrum or SAFe), and ensuring sufficient resources, tools, and competencies. This also includes procurement management and setting UX criteria for subcontracting.
3. Human-centered design in the project itself
This matches the core processes of ISO 9241-210, but broken down into manageable sub-processes for project managers and experts. It covers four main phases: identifying the context of use, defining user requirements, designing solutions (prototypes), and user-centered evaluation.
4. Operation and life cycle
This phase focuses on the operational phase of the system. It includes managing the implementation of the system (training and support), monitoring quality during use (analytics and feedback), and managing updates and decommissioning so that users are not inconvenienced.
Humantech-standards
Organisaatioon ja johtamiseen vaikuttavat standardit
ISO 27500:2016 / The human-centred organization — Rationale and general principles
Defines principles and rationale for a human-centred organization, emphasizing stakeholder value, wellbeing, and inclusive practices.
ISO 56001:2024 / Innovation management system — Requirements
Certifiable requirements for an Innovation Management System (IMS) to manage innovation activities in a structured way.
ISO 56002:2019 / Innovation management system — Guidance
Guidance for establishing, implementing and continually improving an IMS (processes, roles, culture, measurement).
ISO 56003:2019 / Tools and methods for innovation partnership — Guidance
Guidance on structuring and managing innovation partnerships (objectives, governance, practices).
ISO/TR 56004:2019 / Innovation Management Assessment — Guidance
Guidance on why/what/how to assess innovation management and use results for improvement.
ISO 56006:2021 / Tools and methods for strategic intelligence management — Guidance
Guidelines for building strategic intelligence processes to support innovation decisions.
ISO 56000:2025 / Innovation management — Fundamentals and vocabulary
Defines fundamentals, principles and vocabulary for innovation management.
ISO 44001:2017 / Collaborative business relationship management systems — Requirements
Requirements for managing collaborative business relationships through a lifecycle framework.
ISO 23592:2021 / Service excellence — Principles and model
Principles and a model for achieving outstanding service experiences and sustainable customer delight.
ISO 30415:2021 / Human resource management — Diversity and inclusion
Guidance for embedding diversity & inclusion into governance, leadership and HR practices, with measures and accountability.
ISO 10018:2020 / Quality management — Guidance for people engagement
Guidelines for engaging people in a QMS—capability, communication, culture, and involvement.
ISO 26000:2010 / Guidance on social responsibility
Comprehensive guidance on social responsibility topics; not a certifiable management system standard.
ISO 45003:2021 / Psychological health and safety at work — Guidelines
Guidance for managing psychosocial risks within an OH&S management system (based on ISO 45001).
ISO/IEC 42001:2023 / Artificial intelligence — Management system
Certifiable AI management system standard (policies, controls, continual improvement) to manage AI risks/opportunities.
ISO/IEC 23894:2023 / AI — Guidance on risk management
Guidance on AI-specific risk management and how to integrate it into organizational processes.
ISO/IEC TR 24027:2021 / AI — Bias in AI systems and AI aided decision making
Addresses sources/measurement/assessment/mitigation of bias across the AI lifecycle.
ISO/IEC TR 24028:2020 / AI — Overview of trustworthiness in AI
Surveys trustworthiness topics (transparency, explainability, controllability, safety, privacy, etc.) and common pitfalls.
ISO 31700:2023 / Consumer protection — Privacy by design for consumer goods and services
Privacy by Design guidance for consumer goods/services focusing on transparency and user control.
Kehitysprosessi ja ihmislähtöisyys
ISO 9241-210:2019 / Human-centred design for interactive systems
Defines HCD principles and activities across the lifecycle (context, requirements, design, evaluation, iteration).
ISO 9241-220:2019 / Processes for enabling, executing and assessing HCD within organizations
Organization-level processes and outcomes to institutionalize and assess HCD and human-centred quality.
ISO 9241-110:2020 / Interaction principles
General interaction principles for designing user–system interaction.Vuorovaikutuksen periaatteet (käytettävyyden ja hyvän UX:n yleisperiaatteet) interaktiivisten järjestelmien suunnitteluun.
ISO 9241-112:2017 / Principles for the presentation of information
Principles for presenting information via visual, auditory and tactile/haptic modalities.
ISO 9241-161:2025 / Guidance on visual user-interface elements
Guidance on designing visual UI elements consistently and understandably.
ISO 9241-171:2025 / Guidance on software accessibility
Requirements/guidelines for accessible software across physical, sensory and cognitive abilities (incl. situational impairments).
ISO 9241-154:2013 / Interactive voice response (IVR) applications
Requirements/guidance for IVR UI design (DTMF and ASR).
ISO 9241-820:2024 / Ergonomic guidance on interactions in immersive environments (AR/VR/MR)
Ergonomic/human-systems guidance for immersive environments including AR/VR.
ISO/TR 9241-810:2020 / Robotic, intelligent and autonomous systems
Guidance on interaction and risks for robotic, intelligent and autonomous systems in varied contexts.
ISO 10075-1:2017 / Ergonomic principles related to mental workload — Part 1: General issues and concepts and terms
Defines terms and relationships in the field of mental workload, including mental stress, mental strain, and their short- and long-term consequences. Useful for identifying cognitive load issues and supporting evaluation and risk management.
ISO/IEC 30071-1:2019 / Information technology — Development of user interface accessibility — Part 1: Code of practice for creating accessible ICT products and services
A code of practice for building and maintaining accessible ICT products and services. It combines guidance for ICT accessibility at both organizational and system development levels.
IEEE 7000-2021 / IEEE Standard Model Process for Addressing Ethical Concerns During System Design
Establishes a process to elicit and prioritize ethical values with stakeholders and translate them into traceable requirements and design decisions. Helps embed ethics as testable engineering work, not an afterthought.
Teknologiat (HCI, ZeroUI, XR/AR/MR/VR/Metaverse) ja yhteentoimivuusstandardit
ZeroUI: puhe, eleet, haptinen vuorovaikutus
ISO/IEC 30122-1:2016 / User interfaces — Voice commands — Part 1: Framework and general guidance
Framework and general guidance for essential voice commands across ICT devices.
ISO/IEC 30122-3:2017 / Voice commands — Translation and localization
Linguistic requirements and recommendations for multilingual voice command translation/localization.
ISO/IEC 30122-4:2016 / Voice commands — Management of voice command registration
Procedures/criteria for managing a web-accessible database of standard voice commands.
ISO/IEC 30113-1:2015 / User interfaces — Gesture-based interfaces — Part 1
Framework and guidelines for gesture-based interfaces to support interoperability.
ISO 9241-920:2024 / Guidance on tactile and haptic interactions
Guidance for designing tactile/haptic interactions (feedback, errors, workload, usability).
XR/Metaverse: web, runtime, 3D-formaatit ja “immersiivinen media”
W3C WebXR Device API (CRD, 2025-10-01) / WebXR Device API
Web API for accessing VR/AR devices in browsers, with strong focus on latency, security and privacy considerations.
Khronos OpenXR 1.1 / OpenXR Specification
Open, vendor-neutral XR runtime API enabling portability across devices and runtimes.
Khronos glTF 2.0 / glTF 2.0 Specification
Efficient, runtime-friendly 3D asset delivery format for interoperable transmission/loading of 3D content.
ISO/IEC 23090-2:2019 / 2021 / MPEG-I Omnidirectional Media Format (OMAF)
Specifies omnidirectional media format for coding/storage/delivery/rendering of 360° media for immersive playback.
ISO/IEC 23090-12:2023 / MPEG immersive video (MIV)
Specifies syntax/decoding for MPEG Immersive Video supporting 3D scenes and 6DoF within a viewing range.
ISO/IEC 23090-14:2023 / MPEG-I Scene description
Extends scene description formats for MPEG immersive media, including syntax/semantics and a processing model.
ISO/IEC 23005-1:2020 / MPEG-V Media context and control — Architecture
Architecture for exchanging context/control between virtual and real worlds (context-aware experiences and device control).
ISO/IEC 23005-5:2016 / MPEG-V — Data formats for interaction devices
Data formats (device commands and sensed information) for interaction devices to enable interoperability.
ISO 9241-820:2024 / Ergonomic guidance on immersive interactions
Ergonomics guidance directly applicable to AR/VR/XR interaction design.
Saavutettavuus & yksilölliset tarpeet (HCI/XR/ZeroUI-konteksteihin)
ISO/IEC 24756:2009 / Common Access Profile (CAP) framework
Framework to specify a “common access profile” of user needs/capabilities and system/environment requirements.
ISO/IEC 24751-1:2008 / Individualized adaptability and accessibility in e-learning — Framework
“Access for All” framework/reference model for individualized accessibility needs and preferences.
ISO/IEC 20071-5:2022 / Accessible UIs for accessibility settings
Requirements/guidance to ensure accessibility settings are themselves accessible and usable.
ETSI EN 301 549 / Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services
Key EU accessibility standard for ICT products/services used in procurement and conformance. ETSI provides downloadable documents.
ISO/IEC 40500:2025 / Information technology — W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2
Defines testable web accessibility requirements aligned with WCAG 2.2. Provides the baseline criteria to make content perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
ISO 14289-1:2014 / Document management applications — Electronic document file format enhancement for accessibility — Part 1: Use of ISO 32000-1 (PDF/UA-1)
Specifies how to use ISO 32000-1 to produce accessible electronic documents (PDF/UA-1). A key standard for ensuring accessibility of PDF publications.
Metaverse-yhteentoimivuuden “kattofoorumi” (ei yksittäinen standardi, mutta relevantti bibliografiaan)
Metaverse Standards Forum / Interoperability coordination venue
Not a single standard; a coordination forum to accelerate interoperability across existing standards bodies and specs.