How to spot when your business needs human-centred design
Does this situation sound familiar? If so, it’s a strong sign that your business could benefit from a human-centred design approach.
Your team keeps running into the same recurring problems. You bring everyone together for a brainstorm, generate a list of ideas, and ultimately go with the one that sounds the most promising – perhaps proposed by the loudest voice or most senior person in the room. But despite best efforts, the solution doesn’t work out. The problem persists, morale takes a hit, and the cycle repeats.
Why traditional problem-solving often fails
Many organisations default to this approach to problem-solving. While it seems logical, it has flaws:
➡️ Assumptions over evidence: Often, decisions are made according to what seems like the best solution, relying on our assumptions or past experiences, without evidence that they will actually work in practice.
➡️ No deep understanding of the problem: The solutions aren’t always grounded in real-world needs and customer observations. Instead they are shaped by what we’ve assumed to be the problem, using the (often incomplete) data we have available.
➡️ The loudest voice wins: When only certain people in the room have a voice, valuable insights and perspectives are lost.
When the cycle keeps repeating itself – and the problem remains unsolved – people lose faith. It becomes frustrating for the team, ideas start to feel stale, and morale drops.
How human-centred design breaks the cycle
In businesses and organisations, we are very rarely solving problems for ourselves. Most often, we are solving the problem for other people. These are usually our customers or the end users of the services and products we provide.
This is where human-centred design comes in. Rather than relying on assumptions, hierarchy, or conventional methods, it puts people at the heart of problem-solving.
Here are a few ways to start:
➡️ Empathy over assumptions: Start by listening to the people facing the problem. What do they care about? Anything that surprises you? Are there adaptations or workarounds they are already using?
➡️ Hidden opportunities: Ask “Why is this happening?” and explore whether there could be new opportunities we haven’t considered.
➡️ Brainstorm with ‘insiders’ AND ‘outsiders’: Try inviting people with diverse backgrounds and experiences to a brainstorm to get fresh perspectives. Share context on the problem and your insights so far, then give people space to be creative. You can always refine ideas at the prototyping stage.
➡️ Rapid prototyping: Rather than committing to one solution before testing it, human-centred design encourages quick experiments and prototypes on a range of solutions. These can be tested and refined based on feedback.
➡️ Iterative learning: When things don’t work, it’s not a failure – it’s an opportunity to learn, adjust, and refine ideas. Human-centred design embraces an iterative mindset, where testing and improving are part of the process.
Could human-centred design be right for you?
Is your business stuck in a cycle of brainstorming a narrow set of ultimately unsuccessful solutions? Human-centred design is a powerful way to help you reframe how you approach problems, provoke fresh thinking and spark creativity.
We specialise in helping businesses break out of this cycle by embedding human-centred design into their processes. Through strategic innovation projects and team upskilling, we help organisations like yours solve complex challenges by putting the people you serve at the heart of your ideas.
