Designing with empathy
Are you a researcher aiming to develop interventions that make a meaningful impact on people’s lives? 8D has ten years of experience in social design, leveraging design methodologies to tackle societal and human challenges.
No-nonsense social design
Social design and co-creation are buzzwords that, unfortunately, too frequently result in projects without tangible outcomes—a status quo that we, as a hands-on team, refuse to accept. At the same time, we firmly believe in the power of human-centered design. So, we took matters into our own hands and developed our own approach to design-driven innovation.
Over the past decade, our team has refined the best practices from the multitude of design-driven methods into a streamlined approach. By keeping the strengths, eliminating unnecessary frills, and adding a healthy dose of pragmatism, we’ve created a robust process that consistently delivers concrete, impactful results.
The 8D Process
Eight steps to impactful design
1. Empathize
In an interactive session with partners, domain experts, end-users, and individuals with lived experience, we develop a deep understanding of all perspectives on the issue. Through what we call an interactive problem storm, we ensure every voice is heard—you just need to bring the right people to the table.
2. Define
We collect, evaluate, and refine the findings from the Empathize phase to determine whether the problem aligns with our initial assumptions or if the intervention’s goal needs adjustment. The user needs and project parameters are then summarized in a clear document to effectively guide the innovation process.
3. Ideate
Our team creates innovative concepts that align with the defined user needs and project goals. In a collaborative concept shout-out, we evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each idea, ultimately selecting the best concept for further development.
8. Implement
For all our interventions, we prioritize self-sustainability: materials designed to remain effective without our ongoing involvement. This isn’t because we’re unwilling to assist with implementation—far from it—but because we know this approach results in better and more lasting outcomes.
4. Specify
To keep complex projects on track, planning and concretizing are essential. After pitching and validating the concept, we create an execution plan with milestones, budget allocation, and moments for feedback from your team or the target audience. This ensures momentum and prevents the project from stalling in the concept phase.
7. Integrate and troubleshoot
We integrate all components into a complete intervention with accompanying support materials. Our team conducts internal testing to ensure all elements function effectively and can be used independently with the provided guides. We identify and resolve any issues, preparing the intervention for end-user implementation.
6. Materialize
With the execution plan developed during the Specify phase, the production phase proceeds smoothly, avoiding unnecessary discussions or confusion. Everyone understands their roles and responsibilities. Additionally, 8D coordinates and facilitates this phase to ensure everything stays on schedule.
5. Prototype
Using minimal resources, we develop a prototype of the intervention to evaluate its potential, focusing on functionality and sustainability. We also conduct a component analysis to clearly outline all necessary elements of the intervention and understand their interactions.
“In every step of our process, we follow a full design thinking cycle: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. This ensures that each phase addresses the key question: how can we deliver the most value within the project constraints at this stage?”
Examples of social design in research
Explore our flagship cases—inspiring research projects that have delivered meaningful outcomes for both the research team and society.
The value of design-driven research
An intervention is successful only when there is a perfect balance between the user, the form, and the context in which it is applied. Explore the value of design in our in-depth article on the key characteristics of design-driven research.
Monthly Q&A Session
Learn more about social design in research
Curious about how to effectively integrate social design and iterative development into your research proposal?
We regularly help researchers refine their proposals and secure funding. If you’re working on a grant application and could use some advice, join our free online Q&A session held every third Friday of the month. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions and gain insights.
Sign up via johan@8d-games.nl to receive the time and call link. Have specific topics or questions? Feel free to include them in your registration email.
