Why Is Human Centred Design Producing Better Products?

If you work in a CAD services business, you will have heard the term ‘human-centred design’ before as this is one of the current buzzwords in the design world. You may be of the view that this is just another trend as it should be self-evident that most design is centred around people. But, this new focus on human-centred design is here to stay, and for a good reason, it does bring a lot to the table.

What Is Human Centred Design?

It is basically what is sounds like – design that is centred around humans and their wants and needs. This process may change the way in which many people approach the design of products and buildings. The process used to be to start with a design and then figure out later how it could help people. Now, you should start with the problem that your client has and design a solution to this. This change in focus will lead to more successful and better products which are more profitable at the end of the day.

World Earth Day 2015

Recently, the design and consulting firm IDEO identified three phases in the human centred design (HCD) process. Firstly comes inspiration followed by ideation and then finally implementation. Inspiration covers getting to know the people you are designing for so that you can understand exactly what is missing from their lives and what will make their lives easier. The ideation phase covers identifying the problem and coming up with possible solutions to these problems and could involve drawing many different ideas out.  The implementation phase is where you will come up with a solution and turn it into a reality. This is where you can really make a change in peoples lives by bringing your solution to market.

Why Does Human Centred Design Work So Well?

One reason why HCD has been such a popular process is that it makes customers happy to know that your design will satisfy their needs and wants. It makes clients feel like they have been heard and understood. And happy customers is not only beneficial to them but is also beneficial to your company as well. Happy customers will remain loyal to your business, and this should have a positive impact on your sales as well.

You will also improve your companies image using HCD, as knowing that your firm has such a focus on designing buildings with their end user in mind will ensure they have a very positive brand image of you. This will really help you stand out from your competition.

HCD is also a very flexible design process that can be used by different companies in different ways. This makes sense when you think about the design process for a toothbrush is very different from the design process for a new home. HCD can be used as a guide to developing ideas that will really help people.

How Can You Implement Human Centred Design?

As a company who offer CAD Services, we are well aware that one of the most important parts of the design process is how you approach it intellectually. When you take on board HCD, you need to look at the world in a different way, from the perspective of the client you are designing for.  Your end goal ultimately is to design a product that can increase the quality of your client’s life. This means avoiding the temptation to add features that you think are super cool but in fact have no bearing on the achievement of the primary goal.  The more you are able to focus on satisfying the needs of your target audience the more likely you are to be successful.

You should also involve your clients every step of the way. The closer they are to the design process, the easier it will be to integrate their lifestyle and needs into the final product.

This is just a brief overview of Human Centred Design, and there is so much more to learn and discover. As experience industrial CAD designers it is just one of the many processes we use. To find out more about our CAD Services, and how we can work with you, please call us on 0161 427 0348 or send us an email to office@thecadroom.com