methods and tools for design practitioners
Human Centred Design Toolbox
This toolkit was developed just as COVID and lock downs took hold. At the time I worked at the Australian Government Department of Industry's BizLab and people were looking for ways to be creative when face to face wasn't an option. This toolkit was the very naive solution and has been refined and iterated ever since. This site realises my ultimate goal of bringing it to life online.
Who am I?
I'm Libby, a Human Centred Design practitioner based in Australia's capital.
About the toolbox
The tools in this toolbox have come from generous people sharing their methods and templates. Where possible I have given credit to the author/s but is all that sharing and reuse sometimes the original creator gets lost. If I haven't given credit and you know the origins of the method please let me know.
Who is it for?
The toolkit is for anyone who wants to improve their process, solve problems and effect meaningful change through placing humans (users, citizens & customers) at the centre.
What it is?
The toolkit is a collection of recommended design tools for any team looking to apply Human Centred Design to their work.
The toolkit can lead you through a design process from start to finish and allows you to dip into the tools that can support you no matter where you are in the design process.
The toolkit focus is on the mindset at work for each step in the process.
How can it help you?
By using these approaches, it can help you to:
- Truly understand the problem and the human need at the centre of that problem.
- Explore a range of ideas around that problem through experimentation and collaboration.
- Design the whole change and how it fits into the bigger ecosystem.
Toolbox categories
The design framework used was inspired by the great work of the Victorian Government's Human Centred Design Playbook.
ALIGN
mindset: focused
This is aligning the vision for the programme of work. Use these tools to bring together a team and determine the desired outcomes and success metrics.
DISCOVER
mindset: empathetic, curious and sharing
This section is all about understanding the current user, partners and staff experience, environment and eco-system. It provides evidence to help you focus on the right problem to solve – the one that helps balance organisational strategic goals and target and address user behaviour and needs.
DEFINE
mindset: creative, collaborative and iterative
This is defining the problem based on discovery research. It is here that your team may produce design research artefacts to create a shared understanding of the lived experience of your users.
DEVELOP
mindset: evaluate
This is about generating ideas and testing and validating them, so you can gain confidence in your solution. Using feedback, you’ll be best placed to embark on the next part of journey and start making the solution a reality!
DELIVER
mindset: share and reflect
This is about how to take your idea and get it ready to deliver, defining what success looks like and measuring it.