Tackling problems from a human perspective
Human-centered design is an approach to creative problem solving that starts by truly understanding people and ends with solutions tailor-made to meet their needs and aspirations. In addition, organizations like IDEO.org believe that anyone, or any organization, can think like a human-centered designer. It’s both a mindset and a process that will help you bring your ideas into the real world.
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New faces of collaboration
From the ubiquitous Post-it® Note to Post-it® Dry Erase Surface, Post-it® Brand offers a number of tools to bring out the very best collaborative experiences amongst your colleagues. However, we know that collaboration isn’t simply limited to tools — nor is it confined to a handful of techniques. To offer new perspectives on collaboration and its benefits, we partnered with IDEO.org — a non-profit design organization dedicated to alleviating poverty — to showcase how human-centered design and Post-it® Products can unlock incredible ideas.
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1. Inspiration
The first phase of human-centered research centers on talking directly with people you’re designing with. You’ll build empathy for them and gain insight into the challenge at hand by spending time with them in their day-to-day lives. In the process, you’ll get a stronger grasp of their hopes, desires, and aspirations, all of which are fuel for the design process. The outcome: a human-centered foundation upon which to create innovative products, services, and experiences.
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2. Ideation
The second phase of human-centered design takes the observations from your Inspiration sessions and shapes them into actionable ideas. From there, you’ll prototype those ideas, get feedback from the people you’re working to serve, and iterate on your design. You’ll see the ideas that cropped up in the Inspiration phase come to life, and you’ll refine them based on real-time feedback until you’re ready to put your solution out in the world.
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3. Implementation
With your idea pretty well set, it’s time to put it out in the world, test its viability and feasibility, and keep iterating for maximum impact.
IDEO.org has used human-centered design on some sixty design projects worldwide and each time it has led to unexpected and innovative solutions rooted in the needs of the people the organization designs with. To see the results of their approach, visit www.ideo.org. And for a deeper look at how to incorporate human-centered design into your work check out www.designkit.org.
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Born in 2011 out of the global design and innovation firm IDEO, IDEO.org is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to alleviating poverty through human-centered design. IDEO.org believes that by understanding and working alongside those in the greatest need, we can design solutions that create prosperity. Partnering with nonprofits, social enterprises, and foundations, IDEO.org practices human-centered design to solve some of the world’s most difficult problems. Visit IDEO.org and Design Kit to learn more about human-centered design.
