Human Centered Design in CSR: Step-by-Step Guide For Beginners

Human Centered Design in CSR: Step-by-Step Guide For Beginners

Most businesses want to make CSR programs that matter, but only a few really do.

Why?

Too many CSR programs are planned in boardrooms instead of with the real communities they want to help.

That's where Human-Centered Design (HCD) comes into the picture. It changes everything. You design with the community. That means you will listen, test ideas, and make programs that really meet the needs of the people they are meant to help.

As per a Restless Development survey, 98% of community change-agent volunteers using HCD approaches believed that their volunteering had a positive impact on their communities.

Let’s break down how you can apply human centered design in CSR, even if you've never done it before.

What is Human-Centered Design (HCD) in CSR?

Human-Centered Design (HCD) is a CSR approach that puts people first. It’s all about working with them to solve their problems. The process is highly empathetic and collaborative.

To put it simply, you start by learning about the problems and goals of your stakeholders. Then, use that information to come up with solutions that really work for them.

It involves three stages:

  1. Inspiration through listening and observing .

  2. Coming up with ideas and making prototypes.

  3. Putting it into action after proper testing.

How HCD Fits with CSR Goals

The goal of a CSR program design is simple: make an impact while staying true to the company's values. But here's the problem: a lot of CSR programs don't work because they focus on corporate branding. It may not solve their real problems.

Human centered design in CSR naturally fixes it. Here’s how:

  • HCD makes sure that CSR projects meet real community needs by doing a lot of research first.

  • It suggests testing and adjusting early on instead of launching big programs that might fail.

  • Communities are more likely to support and keep what they helped create.

The Rockefeller Foundation reported an 80% success rate in delivering effective solutions to social innovation challenges using design thinking and HCD approaches.

Co-Creation Over Donation

A lot of the time, traditional CSR works on a "we give, they receive" model. But a human-centered CSR program design makes it a partnership.

Let's say a business wants to make it easier for people in rural areas to get an education. Instead of just dropping off pre-made digital kits, they first talk to teachers and students. Perhaps, the company finds out that the bad power supply is the bigger problem. Soon, they may create classrooms powered by solar energy with the help of local tech startups.

This way of working together leads to:

  • A solution that people want to use

  • More community ownership

  • Better fit with the brand's CSR strategy

Why CSR Programs Should Focus on People?

A lot of CSR money is spent with the best of intentions, but poor design leads to poor results. Here's why it's important to look at CSR through a human-centered lens:

  • Communities change quickly. Things that worked five years ago might not work anymore. HCD makes programs flexible.

  • Planning from the top down stifles new ideas. Getting people involved at the grassroots level leads to more creative and practical solutions.

  • HCD makes CSR impact assessments more than just vanity metrics by adding feedback stories and signs of real change. Thus, the measurement gets better.

Step by Step: How to Add HCD to CSR Program Design

Let’s check out how to design a CSR program with an HCD mindset.

Empathize

Putting yourself in the shoes of your stakeholders is the first step. This means:

  • Doing in-depth interviews

  • Holding discussions with the community

  • Observing real behaviours

You can use photo diaries to see what they do every day and what gets in their way.

Let’s assume that your CSR plan includes saving water. You must spend time with farmers in the area before installing anything. You might find that the problem is the old ways of watering plants, not a lack of technology. All they need is new information.

Define the Challenge

It's time to rethink the problem now that you've gotten some information. Do it based on what people actually go through, not what your company thinks.

A clear problem leads to better solutions. It also helps make sure that your CSR strategy fits with the bigger goals of your business.

If you frame your challenges correctly, your CSR impact assessment will look at more than generic template-based outcomes, like how many laptops were donated. It will focus on results that matter, like how many girls went on to work in tech after six months.

Ideate Collaboratively

The ideation phase is when people work together to come up with ideas. Instead of having your CSR team sit in a room and try to come up with the best solution, bring in the real experts: the people who deal with the problem every day.

You can bring in:

  • People in the community and local leaders

  • On-ground NGOs or nonprofits

  • Staff members who are aware of your CSR strategy goals

  • People who know a lot about a subject, like environmentalists, teachers, engineers, and so on.

You can ask "How Might We" questions to let them think outside the box. Similarly, run workshops with visuals and LEGO bricks to encourage the ideation process.

Remember, the goal is to come up with a lot of ideas together, based on empathy and knowledge of the area.

Make A Prototype and Test It

You can make simple prototypes of ideas that you’ve liked. It might be:

  • A sketch or drawing

  • A mock-up or demo

  • A role-play activity

  • A Minimum Viable Product (MVP

The goal is to get feedback quickly and cheaply.

Try again and again to make things better. This process might take a while, but it makes sure that your program is useful.

Implement, Monitor, and Iterate

This phase is to:

  • Start your program in stages

  • Keep a close eye on performance

  • Make changes based on results and feedback from the community

This never-ending cycle of "implement, learn, adapt" keeps your CSR program design flexible and up-to-date.

Also, get community leaders involved in the rollout process. They are trusted links between your business and the people who benefit from it.

How a CSR Platform Can Support Human-Centered Design?

Designing a program is just the tip of the iceberg. The real challenge lies in running it well. That’s where a CSR platform becomes very important.

According to Double The Donation stats, 40% of Fortune 500 companies offer volunteer grant programs through CSR platforms. It can help you:

  • Keep track of the community insights you got during the testing and empathy stages.

  • Allocate tasks with deadlines to team members.

  • Check real-time impact data to make better decisions

  • Make reports that are clear and fit with your company's CSR strategy.

CSR Impact Assessment with a Human Lens

The number of trees planted, children taught, and wells dug are all important ways to measure success, but they don't tell the whole story.

These numbers get more interesting when you look at them from a human-centered CSR point of view. And here’s how to do that:

  • Interviews with people in the community before and after the program

  • Prepare case studies that show change

  • Let the community rate the program

Conclusion

Most companies do CSR initiatives. But the ones that people remember are designed with empathy and collaboration.

At SoulAce, we help you build CSR programs that are deeply human. Our expert team uses on-ground research and real-time data to create a human centered design in CSR that really works for the targeted community. Let’s work together to make your vision a reality! Write to nachiket@soulace.in