Turning good ideas into great ideas

I believe that through Human-Centred Design we can help make the world a more inclusive, accessible and equitable place.

One of the reasons I enjoy and appreciate Human-Centred Design (HCD) so much is that is focuses on real needs. It requires you to understand the person you are designing for and their wider context. Quite often with a side hustle or small business (or any sized business!) you can get a great idea into market but find that it doesn’t quite work with your customers or you just get stuck.

Design Thinking is a mindset, a way of solving problems creatively. HCD is a framework / approach to help you focus on the person you are designing for and consider them at all stages of bringing your idea to life. It’s about putting humans at the centre and designing for their needs.

HCD and Design Thinking have been used in all sorts of things, from designing the first iPhone right through to Government systems and programs. It helps you to design things that people actually want because you are solving a real need.

Design Thinking gets you to the sweet spot of creating something that is desirable, feasible and viable – people want it because it solves a need they actually have, it’s technically & legally feasible and it’s financially viable.

There are 3 phases:

Inspiration – Learning and collecting information about the person you are designing for and their wider context
Ideation – Coming up with ideas about different ways to solve for that need
Implementation – Testing out your solution and getting feedback on it through rapid prototyping.

Empathy is at the core of HCD and Design Thinking – it’s about understanding people, caring about their needs / problems and designing a solution that solves their pain points.

Curious to lean more about Design Thinking and Human-Centred Design?

I’m currently offering a live, virtual, prototyping workshop to help people get started with or progress their ideas. This workshop is aimed individuals, people with a side hustle or an idea for a side hustle, people with micro-businesses, small startup and the like.

Rapid Prototyping Workshop

One of the great things about Design Thinking is that it encourages you to test your idea(s) out quickly and cheaply before investing a lot of time, money or energy in it. Using prototypes allows you to get feedback on your idea quickly and easily – what works, what doesn’t work, what is too much, what’s missing, what would make it even better etc. Once you have this feedback you can iterate (update / change your idea) before you get too far down the road with bringing it to life.

In this 2 hour workshop we will cover:

What is a prototype and why do we use them
Creating your own rapid prototype
How to test / get feedback on your rapid prototype
Testing lab – Test your prototype and get immediate feedback

Update:

I’m not currently running these group sessions and I’m not sure if / when they will be back. If you are stuck on how to start prototyping or how to move forward with your idea, check out my 1:1 sessions below.

NB: To avoid conflict of interest I am unable to work with you if your idea / side-hustle is in the areas of Superannuation / pensions / retirement funding.

One on one sessions

Want individual coaching on your idea or current problem / challenge you’d like to solve? Then these are for you. We can explore your idea in more detail and focus on getting you started or refining your idea. If you have a current problem I will work with you to go back to the why and understand the problem more deeply or from a new perspective.

By prior arrangement only, all sessions via zoom (30 or 60 minutes)

NB: To avoid conflict of interest I am unable to work with you if your idea / side-hustle is in the areas of Superannuation / pensions / retirement funding.

Please email me to discuss: hello@lizmoffatt.com

Whilst I’ve previously taught groups of people about HCD and Design Thinking in the corporate world, doing these mini sessions and 1:1’s is something new that I’m exploring – a prototype if you will!

If you’re keen to start exploring the deeper “Why”, the deeper need of your idea right now, you might like to read this article I wrote called “Tell me why the customer cares about that?”

If you’re keen to learn more about HCD and Design Thinking, I made you a video:

"Liz has an exceptional mind for Human Centred Design. She delivered training that was comprehensive, highly informative, insightful and rooted in her deep understanding and empathy for people and the human experience. Not only was it incredibly invaluable to get her insights as an experienced HCD practitioner, but as an exceedingly passionate and motivated trainer. Liz's training opened my line of thinking when it comes to my work and how I approach problems."

Cartoon image of a white femme presenting figure with a brown high ponytail

Jenny

(Intro to HCD - Corporate)

"Liz runs the course in a very practical and collaborative way. I enjoyed her approach to forming focus and camaraderie up front by establishing shared values, goals and rules. She also creates a very safe space for learning."

Cartoon image of a white femme presenting figure with a long red-brown hair

Rikki

(Intro to HCD - Corporate)

Curious about how I’ve used HCD in the corporate world? Check out my p ortfolio.

If you’d like to know more or, if you have questions: hello@lizmoffatt.com

Find out more about life coaching and breathwork: www.lizmoffatt.com

I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands and waterways in which I work.
I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging.