How to apply human-centered design to association technology initiatives

Have you ever struggled with issues of technology adoption, mismatched expectations, or the perception of your organization as behind the times? 

The use of technology can change the way people think about you as an organization, for better or for worse.

Human-centered design is a framework for projects and decision-making which can be particularly useful for embarking on new technological ventures. As a published framework, it is fairly new, although IDEO, the firm that developed it, has been using it successfully for several decades. Human-centered design and the concepts behind it are especially applicable to membership organizations, because human-centered design focuses on putting ourselves in the shoes of our members and the users of our products. The framework can be applied to any organizational initiative, from developing a publication, to designing an event, to improvements to your physical office space.

IDEO segments human-centered design into three phases, while other adaptations use four, five, or even six steps. This four-stage version most closely matches association technology initiatives.

Read the full article at Association Success.

Gordon Withers spoke in the “Approaches For Human-Centered Design in Technology Initiatives” session during SURGE Optimism 2018, an interactive virtual conference hosted by AssociationSuccess.org on November 7th-9th, 2018. Click here to watch the sessions on demand.