Introduction to Human-Centered Design
In this course, students gain experience with the Human-Centered Design process, jumping into design sprints and collaborative work from day one. Over the course of a semester, students engage in three projects of increasing depth, from a one-week design sprint, to a six-week project with real-world organizations ranging from Starbucks to local grassroots non-profits. The course slowly transitions from playground to stage over the course of the semester, students gain confidence and experience with the design process. This class is fast-paced and varied, we build depth and nuance with the skillset, while maintaining a lighthearted, play-based style. Professors Fred Leichter, Shannon Randolph and Asha Srikantiah instruct this class on a rotating basis, with one to two of them comprising the teaching team each semester.
This class is the perfect launchpad to prepare you to prepare you to bring Human Centered Design mindsets and methods to almost any discipline. It is the prerequisite for Advanced HCD, and a requirement for any students considering a self-designed major, minor or concentration.
Advanced Topics in Human-Centered Design
This course is designed for students who have previously taken our Introduction to Human-Centered Design class and are ready for more. In Advanced HCD, Professor Asha Srikantiah coaches a small cohort of students to expand and deepen their design knowledge through real-world experience. In this practicum class, students spend 14 weeks working with an external partner on a design challenge. Students dive deep into primary and secondary research, uncovering insights about the stakeholders and ecosystem of the partner's design challenge. They uncover opportunities for new solution ideas, and prototype concepts in-market.
Past projects include working with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to improve the patient experience navigating information overwhelm, and working with nonprofit design lab Amplifier to design a deck of cards that can be used as an educational tool by teachers.
Advanced HCD is a requirement for any students considering a self-designed major or minor in Human-Centered Design.
Design for Environmental Behavior Change
Anthropological methods meet human-centered design in this interdisciplinary deep-dive on the nature and practice of sustainable change. This course combines Human-Centered Design with a variety of environmental practices as Professor Shannon Randolph coaches students in designing for behavior change. Working with local project partners, students work in small teams on a real-world environmental design challenge over the course of the semester. This course is rich in both theory and practice, as students are introduced to a wide variety of mindsets, skill sets and applications of design. From biomimicry to life-centered design, students begin to own the process more and navigate the nuance of designing in a complex and changing world.
Equity and Design Seminar: Group Independent Study
This fall, we are excited to experiment on brand new class focusing on the intersection of design and equity. Professor Asha Srikantiah will guide a small cohort of students through various readings, pieces of media, and discussions exploring the impact and nuances of equity in the design world. We feel it is critical to pair our core classes with classes like this one, to ground us and our students in the theory and history of our design practices, in order to design responsibly and intentionally.
