Christine Marvin is Chief Marketing + Experience Officer at Marvin, a leading manufacturer of premium fenestration solutions.
What exactly is people-centered design? Harvard Business School defines the concept as a “problem-solving technique that puts real people at the center of the development process.”
This can help us create products and services that resonate and are tailored to a specific audience’s needs. Further, according to McKinsey, by employing people-centered design, we are fundamentally “centering empathy and understanding in design research,” which allows companies to “both reduce risk in the idea-generating stage and ensure people are at the heart of the process.”
As our world embraces a new phase of intentional living, this approach to product and service design is so important to how we experience and interact with the world and make a difference for people–inspired by people and designing for people. We are embracing new ways of living at home and in the workplace, making it imperative for these spaces to serve multiple aspects of our desire for better indoor environments. Whether it’s a light-filled atrium with mental health benefits like this one or a cozy cabin retreat like the one created through this beautiful DIY transformation, I believe our environments create our experiences, and we are no longer settling for mediocre spaces. We want them to feel specifically tailored to our routines with access to light, air, views, how we want to live and reflect our values and aspirations, colors and design motifs that feel timeless and nostalgic all at once.
This ongoing shift prompts discussion around the benefits of people-centered design, which has been a focus for my team for several years. It has been rewarding to see this practice become more widely recognized because I believe it truly has the power to change the way we live. If you’re curious about people-centered design and how the practice could benefit your business, here are three important steps that have worked for me.
1. Observe people.
A critical component to people-centered design is to simply observe the way people live. For example, according to the EPA, we spend around 90% of our time indoors. That’s a lot of time. This type of insight and subsequent observation can allow you to uncover pain points people aren’t aware of and proactively offer solutions to those needs.
Whenever possible, you should also be asking your audience what exactly it is they want and need from your line of business. When done properly, this research can inform differentiated and lasting ideas that are backed by genuine insights from the audience to which you are ultimately trying to appeal. This is also aided by a cross-functional team collaborating to bring the idea to life. Everyone hears and sees something different, which contributes to a stronger final solution.
2. Practice prototyping.
People-centered design can initially seem like a time-intensive process. It requires extensive trial and error. Which is why you should give yourself the space and resources to imagine the possibilities of the solutions you are trying to achieve through prototyping.
When you create a visual representation of the product or service you are hoping to create, you can identify gaps early on and use that knowledge to improve and refine the model. Give yourself and your team grace to make mistakes and try new solutions. I find that there is a solution to every challenge and the best solutions aren’t always discovered immediately. You can realize successful solutions more quickly when you seek feedback from those you are designing for in the prototyping phase. In my experience, people often do the most significant learning during the early failures, and insights at this phase can ultimately keep solution discovery on track for the long-term.
Whether your line of business is premium windows or modular furniture, you have a role in people-centered design. That starts with a shared goal to create solutions that don’t just check a box or fill a temporary need, but rather positively impact users for the long term in ways they never imagined were possible yet intuitively make sense once they experience it.
3. Open your mind.
What I love about people-centered design is that it is fluid. There will always be room to build on existing ideas with new innovations that reflect our ways of living as they evolve.
Take open-concept homes, which have been trending for years, as an example. The pandemic changed how we value this type of layout. Suddenly, we needed privacy just as much as we were craving connection. This has brought new opportunities to consider what could happen if a moveable glass wall-sized door moved inside, serving a refreshed role as the perfect tool to separate spaces and create new functionality in open-concept homes, while allowing the home to remain an open and collaborative space in the right moments. Reimagine the way an existing product can better serve the needs of your customers by opening yourself and your team up to flexibility, seamlessness, fluidity.
As we look ahead, I’m captivated by simplicity. How can products be easier to use? Simpler to operate? More intuitive?
People-centered design continues to be a guiding principle for me as a leader and innovator, and I look forward to seeing the practice continue to find its place across industries and disciplines as we all make space for what matters most in our homes and lives.
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