A Human Centered Design Workflow for Curriculum
Human-Centered Design (HCD) is an approach to problem solving that puts (humans or users) at the center of the design process. The process starts with building deep empathy for those that you are designing for, in this case, students.
Research shows that “When students are positioned as people who make choices, and take control over their learning through assessment activities, traditions of power and control in classrooms can be disrupted” (Aide, Willis, Van der Kleij, 2018).
HCD has three design phases: inspiration, ideation, and iteration. We adapted this design process to fit a curricular model for group work with students in higher education. The phases are: Empathize (share, listen), Brainstorm (collaborate, discuss), Research (design, develop), Create & Integrate (share, reflect, inform).
Language for students is action-oriented:
Our objective for this assignment is to work as a team. You will:
- share your own experiences;
- listen to students share about their experiences;
- ask questions about what you don’t know;
- brainstorm together;
- conduct collaborative research; and
- develop key considerations to incorporate into your own process that you will share with your peers to consider and incorporate into theirs.
Here is how group work is structured:
Sprint or Multi-week Human Centered Design Group Activity
- Students Share/Listen (Empathy step — this is the most important step of the whole activity: don’t skip it!)
- Students Brainstorm in groups (with post-its)
- Groups decide on topic/question
- Groups decide individual research roles
- Groups conduct research
- Groups present on research — what did they learn? What should others incorporate?
- Student reflection
- Incorporate student learning & feedback for future students
Considerations:
- What problem are you solving?
- Allow opportunities for students to provide feedback + have that feedback incorporated into the assignment and builds on knowledge for future students
- Provide time for reflection
Sources:
What is Human Centered Design?, Design Kit, Ideo.org. Retrieved from: http://www.designkit.org/human-centered-design
Aide, L. E., Willis, J. Van der Kleij, F. M., (2018). Diverse perspectives On student agency in classroom assessment. Australian Educational Researcher, Volume 45, Issue 1, Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13384-018-0262-2
