Nobody ever designed a good thing from the comfort of their desk. Getting out there and out of our heads, observing and experiencing the world, should be the core focus of every maker. Here’s how I go about it.

Let’s start with a little experiment. Imagine you are a designer sitting in a studio in Sydney, Australia, surrounded by other industrial designers, marketers and intellectual workers. Can you design a chair for people who sit in front of a computer for eight hours a day? Absolutely! That’s a pretty straightforward thing to do. There's no reward for that.

But how about solving a problem for a mother in Ethiopia? She’s trying to feed five children and walks six kilometres one way to a water pump to fill ten gallons of water and walks all the way back to her hut. Every. Single. Day.

Can you solve a problem for her? Probably not.

You cannot understand what it is like until you’ve done that. Unless you’ve experienced it. That experience, with empathy and vulnerability, that’s where human-centred design begins.

The human-centred approach takes into account the complexities of real-world problems and uses empathy as a key value.

The real world, observed with curiosity

I learn by watching and analysing social behaviour. Seeing how people interact with each other (or with other creatures), with tools and the environment, that’s my encyclopedia.

In my mind, human-centred design is about that. About how we interact with each other and the world. About creating solutions that make human interaction and evolution easier, especially for the ones that are suffering the most.

That’s what gives my work its meaning.

Practical steps to leverage HCD

As a tool, the human-centred approach produces solutions grounded in human science pedagogy. It takes into account the complexities of real-world problems and uses empathy as a key value, allowing for adaptation and truly impactful solutions.

Several points are crucial in a successful human-centred approach:

Focusing on core issues: Ask why. Lasting solutions are not treating the symptoms but the core causes. They try to understand, appreciate the complexity and possibility for human error not as a flaw but as crucial data for improvement.
Learning from people: Many solutions put technology first. It’s understandable, technologies are often simple and easy to understand. But in order to deliver impactful change for all people’s lives, we need to ask everyone involved for their needs, understand their position, and respect their culture, beliefs, and background.
Holistic understanding: If we want to solve granular problems, we need to understand the entire activity. Every system has a multitude of stakeholders and feedback loops. Unless we consider every one of them, there is a big potential for failure.
Prototype, adapt, iterate: Initial solutions are often incomplete, imperfect, or just too difficult to implement. That’s why thorough testing, stakeholder negotiations, feedback loops, and rapid iterations are key to a successful design process.

I was incredibly lucky to grow up in conditions that have allowed me to explore my curiosity and interests. Now, we aim to provide such an environment for millions of people around the world.

Going one step further and allowing others to learn

By implementing these steps, you’d be on the right track to having a successful product. But great solutions go one step further. They not only build on thorough observation, analysis, and empathy but also allow the people using them to learn and adapt.

Masses are always made up of unique individuals with their own strengths, interests, and predispositions. The ideal end product is adaptable and able to accommodate every individual and situation. It learns from collective needs but also allows to be moulded into individual circumstances.

It recognises that the activity it is trying to help is only part of the holistic process, only a fraction of the lives of the individuals. What distinguishes a great product or a tool from the mere goof one is how it fits into the entire ecosystem of activities.

Great solutions are built with a collaborative and growth mindset. Only when multiple feedback loops are in place and you make sure to truly listen to the experience of the people using it can you put in place processes that overcome challenges and are dedicated to improvement.

Putting human-centred learning to use

I was incredibly lucky to grow up in conditions that have allowed me to explore my curiosity and interests. I spent my childhood constantly tinkering in our garage and improving things all around. The people surrounding me supported my efforts and inspired me to pursue a career in helping others.

At Barefoot Citizens, we aim to provide such an environment for millions of people around the world.

To help build conditions that not only allow them to tackle the fundamental challenges -- be it access to drinking water, electricity, or education -- but also contribute to building safe spaces where they can learn and grow and become an active part of the solutions. From children in Fiji taking social STEM classes, to women in Sub-Saharan Africa, upgrading their neighbours’ kerosene lamps while establishing a micro-business.

Equipping everyone with the tools and knowledge to explore, improve, tinker, and pursue their passions is the natural progression of HCD, because a sense of agency and inclusivity is crucial in building a future where everyone has a chance to thrive.

Human-Centred Design: True Innovation Starts With Connection