What is Human-Centered Design?
Human-centered design is a creative transdisciplinary problem solving approach that focuses empathy and perspective taking, iterative prototyping and testing. The approach creates solutions “with” people rather than “for” people.
Collaboration and team work is key with design benefiting greatly from the views of multiple perspectives. We call this “co-creation.” In co-creation, the user is the…
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The process allows for experimentation and failure. You heard that right, failure. Designers learn faster by failing early and often. We give permission to explore new behaviors, create new ideas, get feedback on those ideas and iterate to design solutions and solve problems.
HCD can be applied to products, systems, technologies, social causes, healthcare/public health, criminal justice, local communities, government organizations, physical environments.
Steps …
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Organize existing scientific data and research associated with the problem. Facilitate discussions to better understand key data and research and to appropriately scope the engagement.
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Understand the culture and context of the problem by understanding the culture and context of the people involved. Talk to, observe, and learn from stakeholders to locate needs and assets to support.
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Compile observations and research findings and look for common themes and insights. Embrace unexpected insight, ideas and inspiration. Find appropriate opportunities for intervention.
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Generate as many ideas as possible. Be visual with idea generation and share openly. Draw concepts, not outcomes. Document the process and routinely combine and refine ideas.
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Make tangible representations of ideas and give them form. Prototype with people to better test assumptions, lower risk, align partners and stakeholders, and reveal potential problems early.
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Test, iterate and develop prototypes in context. Document and collect feedback to inform strategies and interventions that are more likely to be adopted and align with target outcomes.
What are the lines?
Designers apply what has become known as the “double diamond” to the human-centered design process. The diamond is framework for convergent and divergent thinking. Convergent thinking* is a reasonable approach to make decisions on current or existing options.
It can not predict the future but it can drive the process toward solutions. Divergent thinking* allows stakeholders to multiply options and create choices. As you move along the double diamond, convergent and divergent thinking allows move from broad options to specific ones in order to create compelling solutions.
* Change by Design by Tim Brown; 2019
adapted from the Center for Social Design