Why is user-centered development critical to successful systems development projects?

Ask yourself this question when you are going to be building a system. What is going to happen to this project when we get done with it? well hopefully you answered the question like this: "hopefully it will get used by the users and not just thrown away and was a waste of my time build that system." I would love to also relate the system builder to actors right now. who do actors put on a show for? for the people. who do system builders build systems for? the users. so they go hand in hand. what happens if you do not build a systems centered around users. well most likely it will not have the all the functionality that they want. it will not be simple to them. and they will find their own way of getting the work done by reverting back to an old way which would results in a lost of resources spent on a system that does not work correctly. building a system centered around users also help you on how simple the system has to be and what all is required. again it is a commutation thing.