When Human-Centered Design Goes Wrong: How to Prevent HCD from Becoming “Me” CD
FALL 2025 | DIRECTOR, INNOVATION STRATEGY AT EPAM CONTINUUM
Human-centered design (HCD) is meant to start with people, not with our own ideas. But too often, the process gets flipped, and organizations use HCD to justify what they already believe. When that happens, we stop listening and start convincing.
To stay true to HCD principles, we need clients to trust us. We are experts in HCD, have orchestrated countless projects with innumerable clients… and have run into, from time to time, people who get the wrong idea about HCD. The issue can come from a client, an organizational leader, or even a specific team — it doesn’t matter where it originates — what does matter is how you redirect that energy in a more human-centered direction.
Here’s how to spot when HCD turns into “Me”CD, and how to bring the focus back where it belongs.
Don’t: Be a Hammer Looking for a Nail
Do: Be a Bloodhound Seeking a Scent
We all enter the design process with our own opinions and ideas about what the real problem is and how it might be solved. Unfortunately, we sometimes see people using the HCD process simply to confirm their existing beliefs, rather than to truly explore and understand the space. This single-mindedness can show up as skipping generative research in favor of jumping straight to evaluative research, or by asking leading questions instead of open-ended ones. When we do this, we become like hammers: everything starts to look like a nail, and we end up justifying and reinforcing what we already believe. Instead, in HCD, we should act like bloodhounds searching for a scent: constantly questioning our hypotheses, biases and assumptions, and remaining open to discovering new insights.
Don’t: Fall in Love
Do: Remember, it’s a Contract, not a Marriage
One of the most enjoyable parts of the HCD process is ideation, where ideas begin to take shape and evolve into holistic experiences. This stage is exciting and requires careful nurturing, as we consider all the nuances and details that could make an experience truly important and differentiating. But then comes testing — where our ideas are put to the test against the reality of what customers think. This can sometimes be a little heartbreaking, because it’s easy to fall in love with our own ideas. When we become too attached, we risk holding on too tightly when things aren’t working, or making excuses for why an idea isn’t resonating. That’s why it’s important to remember that the ideas we develop are like contracts, not marriages. The experience must fulfill its promise and be meaningful to the customer, rather than simply satisfying our own creative attachment.
Don’t: Be a Lone Genius
Do: Have Strong Opinions Loosely Held
There’s a persistent myth that innovation is the work of a lone genius tinkering in a garage, or a visionary tastemaker single-handedly steering an organization. Be cautious of anyone who believes they can drive meaningful innovation and change entirely on their own. True innovation is a team sport. It thrives when people with diverse skills and perspectives come together, challenge each other, and collaboratively build something new. While it’s important to bring strong opinions and a clear point of view, it’s equally vital to have the humility to recognize you’re not always right. Embracing other people’s ideas, being open to challenge, and allowing your own perspectives to evolve are what truly fuel creative breakthroughs.
Bringing the ‘Human’ Back to Human-Centered Design
In the end, human-centered design only works when we keep people at the heart of the process, not our own egos or assumptions. It’s easy to slip into bad habits: searching for evidence to support our beliefs, falling in love with our own ideas, or trying to go it alone. But real innovation happens when we stay curious, test our assumptions, and invite others into the journey. By being open to new insights, letting go of attachment to our own ideas and collaborating with humility, we can ensure that HCD remains truly human-centered and delivers experiences that matter to the people we serve.