User-Centered Innovation
When discussing innovation, initially, ideas tend to center around technology, specifically new products or services that can be developed or adopted to innovate within a solution space. Our hub starts with the intended experience and needed problem space beyond testing a particular tool or product. This is because a product is only one of many facets of the entire user experience when considering an organization’s offerings. It’s part of a more extensive experience that has the potential to elicit a lasting, positive impact and the prospect of continued or repeat business.
We can find good examples of this approach in companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google. While each has its core products or services, the accompanying ecosystem creates an overarching experience that sticks with users by providing an enjoyable and holistic experience for most. Your iPhone is also a powerful pocket computer with enabled cloud storage, a portable stereo system with access to 90 million songs, and a gaming console with an extensive library of games on the go. A single product, made more enjoyable by a suite of services under one account, with unified user interfaces and the ability to share the experience across multiple devices.
Leveraging user-centered design processes, such as user experience design or design thinking, supports the development of compelling experiences designed to serve learners. These processes place a human perspective on all levels of creativity, design, and implementation and can enable a full accounting of learners’ needs, desires, and goals. By emphasizing the user rather than the product, we can better position our ability to create relevant and exciting experiences beyond degree attainment. One can imagine the potential to develop innovative, immersive experiences when taking a user-centered focus and designing experiences that resonate with working, non-traditional learners.
Inspiration & Further Reading
Cheng, R. (2021, August 12). Harnessing UX design for innovation. Harnessing UX Design Process for Innovation.
Paun, G. (2022, March 21). How UX design can inspire innovation. Fast Company.
