Human- Centered Design
8.25.2021
Looking at the world through an optimistic eye can be a very difficult task. It is hard to think that there is an achievable solution to all the world’s biggest problems. The key to being a good optimist is to also be a persistent problem solver. As problem solvers would know, the closer you get to the problem, the more chances you have of figuring out a solution. It is not until you put yourself in the shoes of the affected that you understand the scale of the problem. Human-Centered Design forces you to work with the problem from the inside out. It teaches you to look at a problem with a mindset that it can be fixed, and the perseverance to never stop creating until there is a solution. It teaches you to encourage failure because it means that you are trying.
The three checkpoints you should approach along the process, although not in order, are inspiration, ideation, and implementation. The idea is to get in the mind of the people you are helping, generate prototype solutions that are tested and retested, and figure out how to use your idea properly to use it to its full potential. During this process, there are a couple of important things to remember. You should consistently operate from a place of empathy. Doing this will help you to keep your focus on the community that you are helping. Apply every idea to a real-life situation to mentally test if it is helpful or not. Second, make plenty of iterations. The more you create, the more ideas will flow through you. You might come up with something you don’t necessarily like, but it is a building block to the final solution. Iteration also applies to prototyping. The more prototypes you build out, the more you will find components that work and components that are ineffective. And third, collaborate. Having multiple perspectives on an issue always helps by bringing diverse solutions to the table.
The three checkpoints you should approach along the process, although not in order, are inspiration, ideation, and implementation. The idea is to get in the mind of the people you are helping, generate prototype solutions that are tested and retested, and figure out how to use your idea properly to use it to its full potential. During this process, there are a couple of important things to remember. You should consistently operate from a place of empathy. Doing this will help you to keep your focus on the community that you are helping. Apply every idea to a real-life situation to mentally test if it is helpful or not. Second, make plenty of iterations. The more you create, the more ideas will flow through you. You might come up with something you don’t necessarily like, but it is a building block to the final solution. Iteration also applies to prototyping. The more prototypes you build out, the more you will find components that work and components that are ineffective. And third, collaborate. Having multiple perspectives on an issue always helps by bringing diverse solutions to the table.
Working towards a solution can feel a lot like a rollercoaster ride. You are encouraged to think realistically and formulate ideas based on that, but to also think of a solution abstractly. You apply these ideas to your prototype and you start over again until you have completed a viable solution. It is called diverging and converging. This helps you to pick parts of all of your big ideas and to implement them in your final solution.
The process of Human-Centered Design is not successful if it is not a vulnerable journey. You adjust your perspective to feel what others feel to efficiently and desirably make their community better. To achieve the perfect solution, you must create a balance between the consideration of the people and the consideration of the Earth.