your side
“Human-centered design is fundamentally an affirmation of human dignity. It is an ongoing search for what can be done to support and strengthen the dignity of human beings as they act out their lives in varied social, economic, political, and cultural circumstances.� – Dr. Asmal
Around the turn of the 21st century designers were writing about human-centered design and how it had shifted the role of designers and users in our society. At large, the use of appeal to consumers and the integration of technology are what really triggered this shift. Twenty years have passed and it remains evident that these points are still imperative today within the field of design.
Who were these authors really talking about — mn
designers
or
people?
both
As humans, we crave to be considered. I think that is what all this is really about. We seek approval because despite what you may try to tell yourself, we are all egotistical beings.
AS DESIGNERS, WE HAVE A
ON THE FLIP SIDE,
CULTURAL RESPONSIBILITY
TO OUR AUDIENCES.
But what sets us apart from other...nouns? It's simple, okay fine, not really. We are complex.
G N I L N E E O F OTI EMVALUE
We are compiled of feelings and emotions and influenced by experiences and those experiences define your thinking and deeply influence your values. I could continue, but at the root of it — we all want to feel understood. In a world of chaos and judgment we want things to be catered to our needs. That is why human-centered design is so successful — it allows rhetoric to flood our media and give us the spoon full of sugar to help everything go down — it appeals to us in a way that we deem acceptable.
For designers however, there is a fine line of ethics that we face because we live in a largely digital and mass communication age. We have to be aware of our role and our audiences and what outcome we are trying to produce.
Don't forget though, designers are human too. And we want to be seen and understood just as well. It puts us in a funny place doesn't it? We want to hear and say the right things all at the same time.
DAMN.
THAT'S A LOT TO CONSIDER
hu m
an
dig nit y
Buchanan, speaks to this when he notes Dr. Asmal’s emphasis on human dignity and the idea of human-centered design. He states that oftentimes it is confused with user-centered design where usability is prioritized, however human-centered design is far more than just usability, it must consider the human nature of the user.
WHAT’S THE GIST? In DiSalvo’s Neighborhood Networks Project, it was clear what goals he and his team held for their study. They were pushing for critical engagement and creative expression, of which are highly accurate in design today. As design continues to distance itself from fine art, the design field is pushing the boundaries of innovation and problem solving — more commonly seen in logic based disciplines such as engineering and computer science. By doing so design has shifted into a tool for people to interact with, or for the sake of DiSalvo’s terms for people to “participate” in.
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n o i t a p i c rti
So class and future designer
using a human-centered
opportunity to use pub
fuel the creation of prod
deeply with consumers an
and growth in interacti
technology cont
rs...
approach provides us an
blic rhetoric which will
ducts that resonate more
nd thus drive engagement
ion and participation as
tinues to evolve
any further questions?
CMS 04 - 02 - 2020