The international standard ISO 13407, titled Human centred design for interactive systems, has been replaced by the new ISO 9241-210, Ergonomics of human-system interaction. This change is not only a formal update, but a meaningful shift in how human-centered design is understood and applied.

The ISO 9241 series emerged in the 1980s under the title Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals. Since then, it has evolved alongside changes in usage contexts, markets, and the design discipline itself, incorporating criteria related to quality, efficiency, safety, and user suitability in interactive products and services.

In mid‑2009, the ISO/TC159/SC4 committee evaluated the need to integrate ISO 13407 into the ISO 9241 family, with the goal of unifying criteria and strengthening practical application. The result was ISO 9241-210, which introduces a structure consistent with the rest of the standards managed by that committee.

One of the most significant changes in this new standard is the move from recommendation-based language to a requirements-based approach. Human-centered design stops being a desirable orientation and becomes a verifiable, enforceable framework within design processes.

This shift was clearly articulated by Tom Stewart, chair of ISO/TC159/SC4 and responsible for the review of ISO 9241-210. In his own words:

This is why I am excited about the recent publication of ISO 9241-210, the revision of the human-centred design standard ISO 13407. The new standard remains largely unchanged, with one major exception. The four key human-centred design activities are no longer just recommendations, they are requirements.

Stewart emphasizes that, after this change, organizations can claim they follow a human-centered design process aligned with ISO 9241-210, as long as they ensure the completion of a series of key activities:

  • Understand and specify the context of use, including users, tasks, and environments.
  • Define user requirements with the level of detail necessary to guide design.
  • Develop design solutions that address those requirements.
  • Evaluate solutions from a user-centered perspective and adjust the design based on the results.

This shift introduces greater responsibility for design teams, because it is not enough to declare a user-centered intention. It must be demonstrated through practices, evidence, and results.

Stewart also anticipated that the concept of user experience takes on a more central role within the standard, supported by previously addressed concepts such as usability and interaction. User experience comes to be understood as an integrative framework, not as an isolated attribute.

In the revised standard we define it as ‘all aspects of the user’s experience when interacting with the product, service, environment or facility’. It includes all aspects of usability and desirability of a product, system or service from the user’s perspective.

The result is a renewed standard that joins other relevant references such as ISO 9241-11, focused on specifying and measuring usability, or ISO/IEC 9126-1, oriented toward software product quality. Together, ISO 9241-210 consolidates a more rigorous framework for integrating human-centered design into real processes.

To support its application, ISO provides a checklist (PDF) that helps evaluate adherence, implementation, and conformity with ISO 9241-210.