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
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.
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
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.
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