I graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in 2020 with a Master’s degree in Social Design. MICA’s Center for Social Design is committed to understanding social issues and fostering positive change. The Center employs a human-centered, collaborative process to define and better comprehend social problems. Similarly, I applied this human-centered design approach throughout my projects.

The Human-Centered Design Process

Human-Centered Design (HCD) is a collaborative and creative process focused on understanding people's needs and designing interventions to better meet those needs. By working closely with those most affected by a particular issue, practitioners aim to identify opportunities, generate ideas, and develop tools that facilitate positive change. The ultimate goal of HCD is to transform the relationships between individuals and between people and institutions.

Human-Centered Design (HCD) 

• is human-centered, collaborative, optimistic, and experimental. 

• is dedicated to understanding people’s needs and designing interventions that better serve those needs.

• supplements and enhances existing research by viewing problems through the perspectives of those directly impacted.

• positions life experiences as expertise, involving people in every step of the design process as co-creators and experts.

Frame&Plan

Organize existing scientific data and research related to the problem. Facilitate discussions to deepen understanding of the key data and research, and to appropriately define the scope of the engagement.

Research

Understand the problem by deeply exploring the culture and context of the people involved. Engage stakeholders through conversations, observations, and learning activities to identify their needs and the assets available for support.

Synthesize

Compile observations and research findings and look for common themes and insights. Embrace unexpected insight, ideas, and inspiration. Find appropriate opportunities for intervention.

Ideate

Generate as many ideas as possible while deferring judgment to foster creativity. Use visual methods during idea generation and share ideas openly. Focus on drawing concepts rather than fixed outcomes. Document the process consistently and routinely refine and combine ideas to enhance their development.

Prototype

Create tangible representations of ideas to give them form. Prototype alongside people to effectively test assumptions, reduce risks, align partners and stakeholders, and identify potential problems early on.

Implement & Iterate

Test, iterate, and develop prototypes in their intended context. Document the process and gather feedback to refine strategies and interventions. This approach ensures solutions are more likely to be adopted and aligned with targeted outcomes.