Source: IDEO, IDEO's Human Centered Design Process
Human Centered Innovation
Human centered innovation is an interdisciplinary approach to creating new products, services, or solutions that places human needs, preferences, and experiences at the center.
The key components and principles of human centered innovation are:​​
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Empathy: Human-centered innovation begins with a deep understanding of all relevant stakeholders, gaining insight into their emotions, behaviors, and motivations. This empathetic perspective helps identify real challenges and opportunities for evolutionary or revolutionary improvement.
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Contextual Understanding: Innovators seek to understand the cultural, environmental, situational, and economic contexts that impact human behavior — ultimately influencing acceptance and economic sustainability.
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Accessibility and Inclusivity: Innovation should be inclusive, serving a broad range of people with and without disabilities.
Source: Continuum Innovation, Gianfranco Zaccai
Source: Continuum Innovation, Gianfranco Zaccai
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Human Centered Design: Humanistic innovators follow a design thinking approach, which involves researching and understanding both needs and aspirations.
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Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Successful human centered innovation requires cross-disciplinary sensibilities and skills including design, engineering, psychology, physiology, business, and other disciplines to enable collective empathy and comprehensive problem-solving.
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Ethical Considerations: Human centered innovation places a strong emphasis on ethical, sustainable, emotionally compelling, and economically viable solutions.
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Iteration: Achieving the ideal requires iterating, testing, learning, and revising as necessary.
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Continuous Improvement: Human centered innovation doesn't stop after the initial launch. Humanistic innovators test and refine potential solutions in collaboration with real people.