The document summarizes IDEO's Human Centered Design Toolkit, which is an open-source resource provided for free to help organizations better understand community needs and develop innovative solutions. The toolkit consists of a 3 step process - Hear, Create, Deliver - to conduct field research, gain insights, and create and test prototypes. It is intended to be flexible and allow for customization based on each user's situation. The toolkit is currently in its second version and is being improved based on user feedback.

1. IWD2: Open Source Design
Project: Great Wide Open
Spring 2010
IDEO’s
Human Centered Design Toolkit
A resource for discovering innovative solutions
to help global communities in need.

2. IDEO (eye-dee-oh)
Innovation and design firm that helps business, government,
education, and other social organizations innovate and grow
by using a human-centered, design-based approach.
Human Centered Design
Multi-stage problem solving process in which user inter-
faces (or systems) are designed accordingly to fit the users,
rather than forcing users to fit the interface.
Ever try opening one of these?

3. HCD Toolkit
Open-source toolkit that provides NGOs and other social
enterprises with tools to better understand people’s needs
in new ways, find innovative solutions to meet these needs,
and deliver solutions* with financial sustainability in mind.
*(products, services, environments, organizations, or modes of interaction)
Applications include agriculture, healthcare, public utilities
(ie: water, santitation).
Toolkit consists of 3 steps: Hear, Create, Deliver.

4. Hear | Create | Deliver
Hear: Prepare for and conduct field research, collect
stories and inspiration from the community. Observe and
understand people’s needs and desires.
Create: In a workshop format, translate field research into
insights, themes, frameworks, prototypes, opportunities,
solutions that are technically and organizationally feasible
to meet people’s needs.
Deliver: Realize solutions with financial viability and
sustainability in mind (ie: rapid revenue and cost modeling,
capability assessment, and implementation planning) to
help launch tangible solutions into the world.

5. Hear | Create | Deliver (cont’d)
NOT intended to be an “Instruction” or “Solutions” manual.
HCD process broken into set of tools (methods, tips,
worksheets, techniques) that can be utilized per user’s
discretion depending on what works best for their
context/situation.
Excellent design of materials makes it user-friendly:
Grid structured document with good type treatment
Controlled use of color and images/graphics/diagrams
Flexibility of toolkit allows for it to complement or
supplement other approaches, or vice versa.

11. HCD as Open Source
A main principle and practice of Open Source is peer
production by collaboration, with the end-product and
source-material available at no cost to the public.
As the toolkit is being used, it is currently being modified
by users who are submitting ideas & feedback to IDEO.
HCD toolkit is provided free to the public and is currently
in its 2nd version.

12. Methods such as Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA),
Subsector/Value Chain Analysis and Triangulation can
all be incorporated into the HCD methodology...
For example, your Design Challenge may necessitate
knowing about the mapping of village resources. If a
team member is familiar with a PRA method effective for
gathering this kind of information, it should absolutely
be incorporated into the process. So be creative and
rigorous in choosing and mixing your methods –
the best outcomes might come from the most
unexpected combinations!
- pp.9, HCD Toolkit