What is Human-Centered Design and Why it Matters at Home
Learn how this proven innovation approach that is widely used by businesses, can help families design an environment that supports connection and growth.
Human-centered Design is a problem solving approach that puts people at the center of the process. Designers use this approach to build products, services, experiences, and systems that are meaningful and valuable.
We often say family is the most important part of our lives. Yet when it comes to raising young children and managing home life, many of us fall back on inherited parenting habits or random tips and hacks picked up from social media. We let small actions accumulate into habits and then wonder why no one seems to be truly happy or connecting at home.
What if we applied what designers use professionally, to create the change we want to see at home? What if we reflected on how we show up, observed and empathised with our loved ones, reset our expectations, and designed an environment where every family member can thrive both individually and together?
Human-centered Design has proven to be highly effective in businesses and organisations, yet it remains under utilised at home. Let’s put it to good use, to create a culture that helps us thrive, starting at home.
The Double Diamond of Human-centered Design
To apply Human-centered Design to family life, it helps to first understand the design process. The Double Diamond is a great visual break-down of the process from problem to solution through four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver.
The first diamond helps you understand the people and context involved, uncover root causes, and redefine the problem with clarity. The second diamond guides you to explore different ideas, test possible solutions, and refine what works.
The process is non-linear, can be adapted for different contexts, and supported with tools, methods and mindsets developed for use at home.
How Do Families Apply this at Home?
This process can be used in a variety of ways at home from everyday challenges to creating shared values. It is effective as:
An actual process where we work through each phase & diamond with tools & techniques to get to a solution.
A mindset that we use to guide our everyday conversations and response to situations. Most of us tend to jump from problem to solution at home, focusing on fixing behaviours without first looking objectively. Or, we ‘understand’ problems based often on assumptions, skipping much of the first diamond. But without deeper discovery, we often end up in reactive cycles, patching over symptoms instead of nurturing long-term change.
When starting out, getting familiar with the intent behind each phase or diamond is more important than getting to the best solution. Expect to revisit the phases and repeat the process multiple times on the same challenge. When young children are involved, we need to make problem-solving fun and explorative. And the more you practice together, the more natural it will be for everyone to collaborate, get curious, and get creative when faced with challenges.
Today, my family life still looks chaotic from the outside, and I still react out of old patterns when stressed. But what’s changed is how I respond, get curious, and repair. Instead of spiraling, we have a work-in-progress roadmap that helps keeps us focus on what really matters. Together, we’re shifting from blame to actions that moves us forward. And this to me, makes all the difference.
Related reads you might enjoy:
The Life Skills Families can Build through Human-centered Design
How Strategy, Approach, and Form Work Together to Shape Family Culture
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