Practica
foundations
An introduction to human-centered design for people working to improve public services.
In this course, you’ll learn about how human-centered design (HCD) is used to improve the experience of people closest to public services—namely, residents and frontline staff. This includes the mindsets and activities that HCD entails, ethical considerations, and why it’s so critical that your institution embrace a human-centered approach.
course outcomes
Make a case for how HCD can improve the experience of engaging with public services for residents and frontline staff.
Reflect on what it means to do ethical research and design.
Identify when and how user needs aren’t being met.
Envision how you can apply HCD in your own institution.
What you'll learn
What to expect+
Course overview
Your learning community
Getting started checklist
Setting the stage+
What is HCD?
Centering “lived expertise”
Critical context
Building a principled practice
HCD for public institutions+
The HCD process
Design mindset vs. institutional mindset
Key dominoes
Case studies
Doing HCD: the basics+
Context building
Interviewing
On-site observations
Downloading and synthesis
Ideation
Iteration and prototyping
User testing
Ethics and equity+
Committing to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Ethics in research and design
Looking ahead+
Course review
Key dominoes for public services
Agents of change
Templates and tools
Committing to the process
Enroll as a team
Learning is better as a team sport. Practica supports collaborative learning through paid cohorts: 6-month group learning experiences facilitated by Civilla staff. Together with your colleagues, you’ll participate in workshops, be guided through one or more Practica courses, get coaching from Civilla design experts, and make significant progress applying HCD to priority projects.
