There are many examples of product development gone wrong. One that comes to mind is Google Glass. It \was a great idea on paper but users did not like the product and had concerns about their privacy so the product was scrapped. In the world of international development, when projects go wrong, the stakesare higher. From dumping t-shirts in Africa that shuttered local businesses to giving low-cost, low-quality laptops to African schools that broke and were unusable, these well-meaning projects have one thing in common: there was little or no input from the people who had the most to gain.
In international development, this problem is systemic. But why does it continue to happen? Too often technologies and projects are designed from a set of assumptions that are either wrong or misplaced. Sometimes intentions are also not as altruistic as we think they are. How do we ensure, with our own biases, assumptions, and motivations, ensure that solutions will meet the needs of the end user?
The answer: put people at the center of design. It sounds simple but takes a deliberate, intentional approach to implement.
Some ways organizations can do this involve traditional data collection methods such as surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Increasingly, companies are learning about customer behavior by analyzing the vast amounts of online data we create each day. While these methods yield insights, they still lack a true human-centered approach.
What does human-centered design look like? Constance Agyeman, Head of International Development and Communities at Nesta Challenges describes it this way:
“Human-centered design is a state of mind to always have people at the core of planning, thinking and doing. It is the process of applying that thinking into the design and delivery of programs, products and services. Human-centered design means we never forget what we are doing is to benefit, engage and involve people, so that we gain a clearer understanding of the way they will interact with and influence whatever it is we are designing. Ultimately it will generate something much more credible and, in turn, more likely to succeed.”
Agyeman goes to say that challenge prizes, offering funding to entrepreneurs and innovators from within the community, is a better way to meet U.N. SustainableDevelopment Goals than “parachuting” in technologies or ideas from outside the community.
In the case of challenge prizes, instead of designing a project with input from the end user, a human-centered approach empowers the people with the most at stake to come up with the solution. The benefits are clear. People understand their local environments, economies, constraints and opportunities. Asking people to design their own projects creates ownership of the problem and solution. When people are personally invested, there is a better chance of the project being successful.
At SSC, we help companies and nonprofits identify solutions to their sustainability goals. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, instead we develop a stakeholder engagement planwith you, your employees, your suppliers, and your customers or clients to unlock a solution that is right for you.