Human-centred design in global health: A scoping review of applications and contexts

Abstract

Health and wellbeing are determined by a number of complex, interrelated factors. The application of design thinking to questions around health may prove valuable and complement existing approaches. A number of public health projects utilizing human centered design (HCD), or design thinking, have recently emerged, but no synthesis of the literature around these exists. The results of a scoping review of current research on human centered design for health outcomes are presented. The review aimed to understand why and how HCD can be valuable in the contexts of health related research. Results identified pertinent literature as well as gaps in information on the use of HCD for public health research, design, implementation and evaluation. A variety of contexts were identified in which design has been used for health. Global health and design thinking have different underlying conceptual models and terminology, creating some inherent tensions, which could be overcome through clear communication and documentation in collaborative projects. The review concludes with lessons learned from the review on how future projects can better integrate design thinking with global health research.

Why interventions to prevent intimate partner violence and HIV have failed young women in southern Africa

“…New approaches to intervention development such as “human centred design” offer potential approaches which centralize participants’ experiences and perspectives . However, in a recent review of human centred design in global health, few examples went beyond undertaking focus groups and some basic ethnographic research, to meaningfully involve those who the intervention is designed for in the development, piloting and refining of the intervention . Engagement needs to go beyond simplistic incorporation of “users” views.…”

The Philani MOVIE study: a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a mobile video entertainment-education intervention to promote exclusive breastfeeding in South Africa

“…The application of HCD principles is a new and promising complementary approach to the design of global health interventions [40]. A key principle of HCD is the idea that content should be created with the needs and context of the target community in mind.…”

“…Applying a human-centered design (HCD) approach to the development of health education interventions may be a powerful way of tailoring these interventions to the specific settings and needs of their target communities, a priority identified in the 2016 Lancet Series on Breastfeeding [36]. The HCD approach has been described as "constructive, experiential and rooted in the needs and context of end-users of a product or service" [40], with the end goal of developing novel solutions to pressing problems. The creation of health education using an HCD approach involves several principles and practices that have been well characterized in the literature [41].…”

“…These include focusing on an empathic understanding of the target audience, creating content through a process of rapid prototyping, gathering of feedback and responsive iteration. Finally, the HDC approach is characterized by a relatively high tolerance for ambiguity and failure during the design process [40,42].…”

Design preferences for global scale: A mixed-methods study of “glocalization” of an animated, video-based health communication intervention.

“…14 HCD involves a process of rapid prototyping, iterative cycles of feedback from target audiences and re-design by the development team. 25 The earliest formative feedback, shaping the development of the eight prototypes, was gathered within South Africa in 2018, through our interactions with the South African National Department of Health and a large community-based maternal child health organization engaged in community health promotion.…”