Human-Centered Design: A Playful Tool for Teaching HCD in the Design Process

Abstract

Human-Centered Design (HCD) has become a key paradigm in contemporary product development, emphasizing empathy with users, contextual understanding, and evidence-based decision-making. Despite its relevance in professional design practice, integrating HCD principles effectively into design and engineering education remains challenging. Students frequently rely on intuition, aesthetic preferences, or assumptions rather than research-based reasoning when defining product characteristics.This paper presents a pedagogical methodology designed to strengthen the integration of Human-Centered Design principles within product design education through a gamified learning strategy. The proposed method introduces a coin-based questioning system implemented during the conceptual development phase of the design process, when students present prototypes derived from their design research.The methodology organizes structured critique sessions in which design teams present their proposals and justify design decisions using research evidence. Peer teams challenge these proposals through a structured questioning process consisting of contextual verification questions and a critical “coin question” designed to evaluate the coherence between research insights and design decisions.Inspired by Socratic questioning, the dynamic encourages students to identify inconsistencies in their reasoning and refine their design proposals iteratively. The methodology has been implemented for more than fifteen years in undergraduate courses in industrial design and product design engineering. Qualitative observations from classroom implementation indicate that the approach enhances students’ ability to justify design decisions, strengthens the connection between research insights and product characteristics, and promotes a deeper understanding of Human-Centered Design processes.

Keywords: Human-Centered Design, Design Education, Gamification, Industrial Design Pedagogy, Product Design, Design Process.

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007264