/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/hcd/introduction/ Recent content in Introduction to human-centered design on Digital.gov Hugo en-us Mon, 27 Jan 2025 19:42:55 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/hcd/introduction/background/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/hcd/introduction/background/ Purpose The HCD Guides are intended to enhance the understanding and practice of human-centered design throughout the federal government. The Guides can be used both as teaching tools and references. They were originally created for the Veterans Administration’s (VA) Veterans Experience Office (VEO) by Insight & Design, a team within VEO that has expertise in human-centered design, and later adapted for use across other agencies through a partnership between GSA’s Office of Customer Experience and The Lab at OPM. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/hcd/introduction/principles/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/hcd/introduction/principles/ The guiding principles of human-centered design include: Empathy No wrong ideas Yes, and Collaboration Inclusion Innovation Iteration When engaging in HCD research: Listen deeply for what people say they want and need, and how they may be creating workarounds to meet their needs. Listen for the root causes that inform the attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs of the people you’re interviewing. Be aware of your own internal biases or judgments. Fail early; fail fast; fail small. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/hcd/introduction/approach/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 09:00:00 -0500 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/hcd/introduction/approach/ “ What people say, and what people do, and what people say they do, are entirely different things. ”— Dr. Margaret Mead, Anthropologist This famous quote by Dr. Margaret Mead is a central truth to the social sciences and processes that build on them. Human-centered design is grounded in empathy and understanding. It begins with observation and research. We hear from people in their own words, to gain an understanding of what they want, expect, and need from a system, product, or experience.