09/22/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/22/2022 15:43
Human-Centered Design (HCD) is a process and a mindset for addressing complex problems by designing solutions with those who will ultimately use the solution (i.e., end users). Because of its inherent focus on end users or recipients of services, HCD appears to have potential for promoting effective, efficient, and compassionate service delivery that is aligned with the mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Despite this appeal, the implementation of HCD within human services is relatively novel. There has been little empirical work to date on how HCD might be used to improve outcomes of interest to ACF programs.
In 2018, ACF's Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) initiated the Human-Centered Design for Human Services (HCD4HS) project to explore the viability of HCD in addressing the complex problems facing public sector human services programs. The HCD4HS project team was comprised of Child Trends, Anthro-Tech, and MEF Associates. This project included a review of the knowledge base to define HCD and describe how it has been used and evaluated in the human services context, and a pilot study to evaluate the implementation of HCD, with a focus on assessing its evaluability.
Human services programs address complex social issues ranging from supporting healthy relationships, child welfare, and economic mobility, to providing high-quality, accessible early childhood programs. HCD can be used to spark innovation to address the myriad challenges faced by human services programs.
The HCD4HS project selected three human services agencies that administer different ACF-funded programs, have different end users, and are likely to successfully implement HCD based upon their readiness, including need, fit, resources, and capacity: Denver Human Services, Santa Clara County Social Services Agency, and Washington State Division of Child Support. These sites were identified through a structured recruitment process and were selected from 32 human services agencies or programs across the country that self-nominated.
The pilot study implemented a capacity-building approach in which HCD consultants from Anthro-Tech provided ongoing HCD training and coaching to a design team who carried out the HCD activities. Training began with an introductory workshop in January 2021; Design Thinking Workshops were held in the summer of 2021; and coaching occurred from February through December 2021. Design teams received an average of 7-9 hours of coaching support per week. Evaluation data were collected throughout most of the implementation period, beginning in February 2021 and ending in November 2021.
The HCD4HS pilot study used a mixed methods evaluation approach in which similar questions were asked of different individuals participating in the pilot study, in different formats. For example, some data were collected as weekly and monthly logs to assess the consistency of implementation experiences across time. To address the research questions, the project developed of a suite of measures for use in this evaluation based on the literature, which included:
Murray, D.W., Rosinsky, K., Haas, M., Glosser, A., & Boyd, S. (2022). Applying Human-Centered Design to Human Services: Pilot Study Findings, OPRE Report 2022-214, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.