Thinking Interactions and Their Social Impact Through Human-Centred Design

Design has contributed significantly to the development of digital projects that are more intuitive and user-friendly. However, there has been a more significant focus on experience and behaviour lately. From this perspective, where the focal point of the design process is no longer the object, but the behaviour and experience, there is a demand for investing in different pathways for the field. The scope expands beyond the immediate interaction of users with artefacts to include the influence of design within more complex social, physical, economic, and technological systems, and research strategies must go beyond laboratory tests. HCD is often used generically to cover a range of distinct research topics. HCD is not only about optimising the technical capabilities of machines but recognising and respecting the organisations or other forms of human social organization. The term is used interchangeably with user-centred design, and one could say, there is no general understanding of the term. In this paper, through the review of relevant literature, we will conceptualize, discuss, and compare Human-centred design (HCD) to user-centred design to create interactions that focus on the whole journey, not only on the ‘user moment’ to include social impacts in the pre- and post-user phases that are often overlooked in UCD. We conclude that this perspective of HCD as a paradigm shift takes the term ‘human-centred’ to mean more than simply considering the user in technology development. The HCD principles go beyond ergonomic, psychological, sociological, and anthropological studies of what fits the human body and mind. HCD is a search for what can support human dignity in its social, political, economic, and cultural life.