Human Centred Design (HCD)
Creating solutions for children using the Human Centred Design approach

UNICEF is always looking for ways to support more inclusive and child-centred policies, programmes and services, and build the capacities of service providers and systems to deliver better results for children.
The key to this effort is identifying and designing solutions that directly involve the users they aim to serve.
Human-centred design (HCD) has long played a central role in UNICEF’s work. The first of UNICEF’s innovation principles is ‘design with the user’ – making sure that a project takes a user-centric approach. HDC takes this a step further by using a set of tools to tailor solutions for children using repeatable, human-centred methods for creative problem solving and innovation.
This approach to solving complex problems and designing more human-centred services takes inspiration from real people, works within market and technological constraints, and ensures the entire design process is rooted in the real world. As a methodology for improving the effectiveness of UNICEF’s work, HCD is helping to strengthen results across the board.
The HCD Dossier explains how and where HCD adds value to the programme process and results for children, and the strategy and pathway to scale.
How to get started
Subscribe to the Scaling Innovation newsletter for the latest updates here.