What is the first step in the user-centered design process?

Understanding how the user experiences the product is the foundational step in the user-centered design process because it focuses on gaining insight into the users' perspectives, behaviors, and pain points. This initial understanding is crucial for informing subsequent design decisions and ensuring that the solutions generated are truly aligned with users' needs and expectations.

By thoroughly understanding the user experience, designers can identify specific areas that require improvement and understand the context in which the product will be used. This step emphasizes empathy and research, which are vital for designing effective and engaging products that resonate with users.

In contrast, directly moving to design solutions without this understanding could lead to ineffective outcomes that do not address the core needs of users. Similarly, evaluating solutions or specifying user needs are activities that rely on having a strong initial grasp of the user's experiences and context, making them subsequent steps rather than the starting point.