Course Description

This course provides a foundational understanding of Human-Centered Design (HCD) principles applied to the challenges of working at a distance. Through expert interviews and case studies, learners are taught visual thinking skills and how to create visual maps to delineate specific work challenges. In the end, verified learners prototype a solution to a real-life case study, leveraging their newly acquired HCD skills.

What Students Will Learn

• Foundational components of human-centered design for identifying problems, generating ideas, and proposing solutions.
• Utilization of HCD tools to improve remote collaborations and better understand needs of clients, colleagues, and customers.
• Application of visual thinking for effective solutions in distance work scenarios.

Prerequisites or Skills Necessary

No specific prerequisites are required for this course, however, it is recommended to complete the free 3-hour MOOC, "Re-Imagine Work - Strategies During COVID-19 and Beyond" prior to starting this course.

Course Content Overview

• Human-centered design principles and their application in decentralised work environments.
• Techniques for visual thinking and mapping to analyze work-related challenges.
• Development and user-testing of prototypes for at-a-distance communication technologies.
• Real-life application through a capstone project involving a case study.

Who This Course is For

This course is suitable for professionals across various industries who are working remotely or in distributed teams and wish to leverage human-centered design to enhance efficiency and collaboration.

Application of Skills in the Real World

The techniques and insights derived from this course can empower professionals to better communicate and collaborate in remote settings. They become capable of innovatively solving organizational problems, creating more user-friendly communication platforms, and improving remote workplace culture and productivity.

Syllabus

• Week 1: Introduction to Human-Centered Design and strategies for wellness in remote working environments. Case study by Brent Steven, a physiotherapist.
• Week 2: Focus on managing team well-being and culture in remote teams. Insights by Dr. Kimberly Voll and Andy Moore, game designers.
• Week 3: Deep dive into understanding the needs of colleagues, clients, and customers with Kirsten Wicklund, a ballet dancer and yoga teacher.
• Week 4: Prototyping and user-testing communication technologies with Alana-Thorburn Watt, a photographer/videographer. The capstone project includes integrating HCD tools to address a real-world work-at-a-distance problem introduced by Leonard Vogt, an interior designer.