This course introduces the principles and practices of human-centered design (also sometimes called “design thinking”) which are essential for developing innovative and inclusive products, services, processes and policies. You will learn by doing, experiencing the design process through exercises and a mini-bootcamp.
This course is part of the Gender Analytics: Gender Equity through Inclusive Design Specialization
Offered By


About this Course
Learners who have completed the first two courses of the Gender Analytics Specialization.
What you will learn
Acquire tools for seeing the world as your users & stakeholders see it, with particular attention to marginalized or silent voices.
Identify latent human needs, looking beyond obvious patterns in quantitative and qualitative data to understand underlying drivers and motivations.
Reframe problems such that innovative and inclusive solutions may emerge through problem finding and not just problem solving.
Learn how to involve users & stakeholders in all stages of design—from ideating to prototyping and testing—& bring a learning mindset to the process.
Skills you will gain
- Creativity
- Prototyping
- Design Thinking
- Innovation
- Inclusive Innovation
Learners who have completed the first two courses of the Gender Analytics Specialization.
Offered by

University of Toronto
Established in 1827, the University of Toronto is one of the world’s leading universities, renowned for its excellence in teaching, research, innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as its impact on economic prosperity and social well-being around the globe.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Human-centered design for inclusive innovation
In this module, you will learn the basics of human-centered design. You will get a taste of working as a designer and walk through the steps of the design process in a mini-bootcamp exercise. At the end of the module, we will discuss how human-centered design fits well with Gender Analytics.
Empathize: Empathy-based research methods
Building empathy is the foundation of human-centered design. Problems we’re solving are usually not only ours, but are experienced by other people, such as our employees, customers, clients, colleagues, and others in the community. To truly understand the context and complexity of the problem we’re trying to solve, we need to focus on putting people first and directing our curiosity towards them.
Reframing: Making sense of your research
Are you solving the right problem? It doesn’t matter how great your solution is if you are working on the wrong problem. It is important to take the time to understand what you are solving for. In this week, you will learn a few tools and techniques to dig beyond the obvious patterns and draw out key insights to identify the deeper problems to solve. At the end of this week, you will be able to reframe of the problem to solve for your design challenge.
Ideate, prototype, and test
Now that you have reframed your challenge, it’s time to start finding innovative solutions. In this module, you will learn how to apply an intersectional gender lens to the ideation process to create an inclusive design, build prototypes to test your ideas, and refine your solution based on feedback.
Reviews
- 5 stars91.95%
- 4 stars4.59%
- 3 stars1.14%
- 1 star2.29%
TOP REVIEWS FROM HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN FOR INCLUSIVE INNOVATION
A great course for beginners which teaches about design thinking and innovation
It was a really simplified and go to course to run through. I enjoyed learning new things about how to create.
This course is very interesting and useful. Thank You!
I have been so overwhlemed with designing a project. but this course made it seem so much easier. Thank you to everyone involved!
About the Gender Analytics: Gender Equity through Inclusive Design Specialization
Current conversations about diversity & inclusion often forget that these are not just HR issues but affect how products, services, processes & policies create outcomes that differ by gender, race, differences in ability, indigeneity & other intersecting identities. Gender Analytics is a methodology that allows you to create opportunities for business or policy impact by using gender-based insights to design transformational solutions. More here...

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