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Field Guide to Human-Centered Design

“Going into the field to learn from adolescents has changed how we listen. HCD has left us with a deep sense of empathy. It assures us that all the views we raise are in favor of the girls we serve.” What is it?

From this Field Guide’s creator, IDEO.org: “Being a human-centered designer is about believing that as long as you stay grounded in what you’ve learned from people, your team can arrive at new solutions that the world needs. And with this Field Guide, you’re now armed with the tools needed to bring that belief to life.”

How did we use it?

Using excerpts from this step-by-step guide, our project partner, IDEO.org, introduced our team to core methods and mindsets underpinning human-centered design (HCD). As a transdisciplinary project, we then used HCD to develop our interventions—with contributions from public health, adolescent developmental science, marketing, and anthropology.

Consider using it to:

Help your team consider the process they’ll use to integrate critical perspectives, evidence, and approaches from a variety of fields of thought. HCD can help teams better understand the people they’re designing for, have more effective brainstorms, prototype ideas, and ultimately arrive at more creative solutions.