Imagining a visionary way forward in how human-centred design is used in global health
Impact
Global health and development experts came together to co-create a shared vision for the future of human-centered design (HCD), identifying seven opportunity areas to guide funders and practitioners in better integrating design into global health initiatives:
- Define, Differentiate & Communicate
- Adapt & Integrate
- Preserve Integrity & Quality
- Share & Learn
- Train & Educate
- Collect Data & Evidence
- Structure Contract & Fund
Challenge
Despite growing interest in applying HCD in the global health and development sectors, practitioners face persistent failures, roadblocks, and unclear pathways to fully integrate HCD methods into their work for maximum impact.
Approach
HCD Uncut brought together 48 design experts, funders, and implementers for an immersive two-day workshop designed and facilitated by Sonder Collective in Berlin, Germany to critically reflect on the current practice of HCD in global health and development and imagine a visionary way forward.
The first day focused on analyzing past failures and roadblocks, while the second day explored a collective future vision. Through facilitated reflection, ideation, and co-creation exercises, participants identified enablers and disablers along the design journey and generated solutions across seven key opportunity areas—from defining and differentiating design to collecting evidence and structuring funding mechanisms.
After the workshop, the Sonder team analyzed the outputs and developed a comprehensive report highlighting opportunities to better integrate design in global health.
