Innovating health care

Key characteristics of human-centered design

Journal Article (2021)
Authors

Marijke Melles (TU Delft - Human Factors)

Armagan Albayrak (TU Delft - Human Factors)

Richard Goossens (TU Delft - Human Factors, TU Delft - Human-Centered Design)

Research Group
Human Factors
Copyright
© 2021 M. Melles, A. Albayrak, R.H.M. Goossens
To reference this document use:
https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzaa127
More Info
expand_more
Publication Year
2021
Language
English
Copyright
© 2021 M. Melles, A. Albayrak, R.H.M. Goossens
Research Group
Human Factors
Volume number
33
Pages (from-to)
37-44
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzaa127
Reuse Rights

Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.

Abstract

Human-centered design is about understanding human needs and how design can respond to these needs. With its systemic humane approach and creativity, human-centered design can play an essential role in dealing with today's care challenges. 'Design' refers to both the process of designing and the outcome of that process, which includes physical products, services, procedures, strategies and policies. In this article, we address the three key characteristics of human-centered design, focusing on its implementation in health care: (1) developing an understanding of people and their needs; (2) engaging stakeholders from early on and throughout the design process; (3) adopting a systems approach by systematically addressing interactions between the micro-, meso- and macro-levels of sociotechnical care systems, and the transition from individual interests to collective interests.