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The Social > Human Centered Design
Intro to Human Centered Design

Human Centered Design

Intro to Human-Centered Design is a year-long program for students who enjoy solving real-world mysteries and challenges all around us. This course asks students to act as "design detectives," identifying hidden problems in the world around them and building functional solutions to solve them. The curriculum focuses on a blend of hands-on building and real-world problem-solving.

It could be creating a new water park or figuring out how to build a new system of roads in the air for flying cars which could be a reality soon enough. For a good example of what this class will include check out this link. Students Shall Not Live on Academics Alone

Throughout the year, students investigate challenges facing the local community—such as helping a business owner improve their public services. Participants learn to think like engineers by testing prototypes, failing early, and iterating until a solution works. The course is built on three core pillars: Investigative Research, where students observe daily life and interview people to frame problem statements; Building & Tinkering, which involves physical and digital prototyping and basic coding; and Documentation & Collaboration, where students maintain a "detective’s log" and share findings through peer reviews.

The 36-week journey includes major milestones such as surprise constraint shifts, neighborhood research, and team-based integration. Students transform from passive users into active problem-solvers, gaining proficiency in navigating technical trade-offs. The class culminates in a final presentation day that demonstrates the students ability to solve a complex community challenge; a perfect addition to a student portfolio. No specific prerequisites are required, though a curiosity for how things work and a readiness for independent project management are encouraged.
  • Instructor
    Sean Marcucci
  • High School
    Science-Engineering
  • Program Fee:
    Yearly fee: $945
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Class Size

14

Competency Outcomes

  • Empathetic Inquiry: Learning how to interview and observe people to find out what real-world problems actually need solving.
  • Problem Reframing: Taking a messy or confusing "mystery" and turning it into a clear, actionable plan for a project.
  • Rapid Iterative Prototyping: Building models and testing ideas quickly, learning that "failing early" is just a step toward finding a solution that works.
  • Adaptive Engineering: Learning how to keep a project moving forward even when the rules change or a surprise obstacle pops up.
  • Computational Logic: Using basic computer coding to add "brains" or automation to the things they build.
  • Narrative Documentation: Keeping a "detective’s log" that tells the story of the project, including the mistakes made and how they were fixed.
  • Subsystem Integration: Working as a team to combine different ideas and individual parts into one finished, working solution.
  • Technical Advocacy: Learning how to present the "story" of a project and explain its value to a public audience.
  • Independent Project Management: Developing the maturity to lead a project from the very first idea all the way to a final showcase.
  • Trade-off Analysis: Learning how to make smart choices when they have to balance what a user wants with what the technology can actually do.

      • Program Fee Details: Yearly fee: $945 Paid upfront with 10% discount: $850.50 Pain in 9 equal monthly payments: $105 * All materials are included in the cost of the class

    What is Human Centered Design

    It's another type/method of problem solving, which we are very focused on at The Social. Problem solving is the crucial skill that is just as important as being good at math. Without it we have a bunch of college graduates with paper degrees, but no ability to solve real world complex problems we all deal with in the real world of work. Problem solving was the #1 skill employers told us they needed through our research on work skills and readiness.

    Human Centered Design thinks through the process of problem solving through a human lens- what is the problem they keep dealing with? How does it affect them and others? Through this empathetic process we learn to think through the problem as we are in their shoes, as it's said. This course is great to help develop a problem solving habit when faced with unknowns and puzzles we deal with in life and work. It's also a course taught at University of Michigan and Harvard and will prepare students to be more than a degree on the wall.