While the concept of appropriate technology has existed for decades, the role human-centered design plays in development has only recently begun to be addressed. Good technologies embrace good design. But how do we design for a user whose culture is so far from our own? Catapult hosts a variety of design workshops that focus on our approach to product design for developing countries and the principles behind human-centered design that reflect our own successes and failures with project work. Workshops are organized for conferences, small teams, or groups prepping for a field visit and include instruction and hands-on activities with our designers.
To see our workshop pricing sheet, please click here [PDF, 350KB].
The following workshops accommodate up to 30 people for 90 minutes. For customized sessions and topics, scroll to the end.
Exploring Values
Values are the ideals, norms, and moral perceptions that dictate the boundaries of individual and group behavior. As designers, understanding values help us form more accurate theories about how peoples’ behavior and preferences influence project success or failure. This session explores basic techniques for uncovering what people hold most dear.
Cross Cultural Communication
Exploring methods we have collected for communicating with end-users when language or cultural barriers exist. The overview will include how to frame questions, using visual communication, creating environments for discussion, and taking cues from body language.
Developing Observational Skills
Observational skills and inquiry are at the core of the design process. They’re even more important when entering communities with unfamiliar norms and developing solutions to systemic problems. This session reviews the basics of contextual observation, individual interviewing, and note generation.
Prototyping
“Prototype early, prototype often” is the saying in product development. In this session we review the different ways to prototype ideas and systems, tips for getting meaningful feedback, and plenty of exercises in “build to think. “
Product Design 101
A birds eye view of the product development process, from the moment you observe a problem to rolling the solution out on the manufacturing floor to collecting the data you need to quantify impact. 10-min activities exemplifying various stages of the process are scattered throughout this session.
Quantifying Community Power
Solar and wind power are common off-grid energy solutions being implemented in rural facilities and homes around the world. This session builds a basic understanding of how these systems work, outlines the local expertise needed, and the data you need to collect and calculate to develop a sustainable solution.
Technological Environment
Understanding the products, materials, and technologies that people are already accustomed to living with can deliver insight as to what they would be comfortable using in the future. This session highlights what to look for, where to look for it, and how to identify various materials and manufacturing processes.
Requesting a Workshop session:
If you’re interested in a Catapult Workshop, standard or custom to your needs, please email learn[at]catapultdesign[dot]org to receive a workshop request sheet. Despite the rapid and robotic execution of responses, we guarantee an actual person is on the other side of the email who will handle your request.
