This blog carries on from my last before Christmas, and picks up on the content of the blended learning programme I participated in.

Human Centred Design (HCD) is, as far as I can tell, a really obvious thing to do. Essentially the principle is that if you are designing something – a product, service, space or system, then you need to understand the perspectives of the people who will be using/following/consuming it. Putting the humans at the centre of the design.

Ok so I know what you are thinking….that is what we already do. We put the customers, the students, the patients at the heart of all of our decisions. Well I am not disputing that. However it is also very easy to jump from saying that to a position of expertise: “I know what they want and what will be easiest for them” and so on. And we do that with the very best of intentions. We are extremely knowledgeable and experienced, that’s why we are here.

However, communities and individuals are complex and irrational and don’t always respond how we anticipate. HCD provides a framework for bringing in the voices from our customers and communities in a very real way.

There are 3 elements: Inspiration; Ideation and Implementation. Like other frameworks (such as Agile) a core principle of HCD is iteration based on feedback. Rather than spending years on a finished product that becomes obsolete as soon as it is launched – in our VUCA world [Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous] things change too quickly for that.

I wonder if we are in a place where 5 year plans and even annual cycles feel constraining not enabling. Continuous development based on the voice of the consumer means the ability to respond quickly and flexibly. Genuinely putting the humans at the centre of all our design.

The course I participated in is free and definitely worth a look – find the link here.

I want to give a shout out to my fellow learners Maria, Pete and especially Claudia, without whom our learning would most definitely have fallen by the wayside!

Juliet Flynn

Organisational and People Development Advisor