User-Centered Design

Driving Question

How can we resolve problems in our community by employing the User-Centered Design process?

Big Idea

Students become User-Centered Designers in this Engineering-focused unit. We apply MIT D-Lab’s User Centered Design process and activities for teams to learn how to provide solutions for Users in their community. Teams will integrate the 4-stage User-Centered Design Process: Learn, Imagine, Create and Test.

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Student Entry Event

MIT BLOSSOMS Video Lesson
User-Centered Design: Creating Better Solutions for Global Challenges

Students Will Learn

  • The User-Centered Design Process
  • Best practices for interviewing a user
  • Gathering and clearly interpreting data
  • COGS approach for framing questions
  • Building constructive reasons for user problems
  • Effective brainstorming
  • SWOT Analysis
  • Creating a process or prototype
  • Testing processes or prototypes
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Students Will Be Able To

  • Work with, support and encourage team members
  • Build creative thinking through innovative activities
  • Interact professionally with community members while making a positive impact
  • Present with a wide audience to offer unique solutions for the community
  • Act in team roles that extend slightly beyond their comfort zone to learn new skills
  • Cultivate different thinking when encountering new problems without scripted answers
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