This was a two-weeks capacity building workshop conducted in 2017 with funding from the Aga Khan Foundation Canada. It delivered intensive human-centered design (HCD) training to participants. While modest in scale, this initiative represented a strategic investment in building design thinking capacity within civil society organizations, recognizing that innovative approaches were needed to address complex social challenges.
The workshop employed an immersive, project-based learning methodology where participants applied HCD principles to real challenges faced by their organizations or communities. The curriculum covered the complete HCD process: empathy building through deep listening and observation techniques; problem definition using reframing; ideation through brainstorming and concept development; prototyping with low-fidelity materials to make ideas tangible; and testing through iterative feedback loops with stakeholders. A distinctive aspect was the adaptation of HCD methodologies for resource-constrained contexts, emphasizing approaches that required minimal materials and could be implemented with communities with varying literacy levels. Participants learned to use simple tools like journey mapping with locally available materials, persona development based on community interviews, and rapid prototyping with cardboard, paper, and other inexpensive supplies.
The workshop also addressed organizational adoption of HCD, helping participants develop plans for integrating design thinking into their organizations’ program development, monitoring, and adaptation processes. Practical sessions covered facilitation skills for leading HCD processes with communities, documentation methods for capturing insights and iterations, and strategies for overcoming resistance to new approaches within established organizations. Case studies from RAN’s own experience applying HCD in East African contexts provided concrete examples of how these methods could yield innovative solutions to persistent challenges. The training emphasized the mindset shifts required for effective HCD: moving from expert-driven to participatory approaches, embracing ambiguity and iteration rather than linear planning, and valuing diverse perspectives in problem-solving.
