What is the key focus of user-centered design?

User-centered design primarily centers around understanding and prioritizing the experiences, needs, behaviors, and emotions of users throughout the design process. This approach emphasizes empathy with users to ensure that the final product is not only functional but also resonates with them on a personal level. By focusing on the story, emotions, and insights of the user, designers can create intuitive and relevant solutions that genuinely address user pain points, thereby enhancing overall user satisfaction and engagement.

This contrasts with the other choices, which may prioritize different aspects of the design process. For example, focusing on business objectives and market trends may lead to decisions that benefit a company but do not necessarily align with user needs. Similarly, while stakeholder input is important, it may not always reflect the actual experiences or wishes of end users. Lastly, concentrating solely on technical specifications and engineering constraints can limit creativity and overlook the importance of user experience, which is vital in creating effective and appealing designs.