TY - JOUR T1 - Integrating Human-Centered Design to Advance Global Health: Lessons From 3 Programs JF - Global Health: Science and Practice JO - GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT SP - S261 LP - S273 DO - 10.9745/GHSP-D-21-00279 VL - 9 IS - Supplement 2 AU - Emily Blynn AU - Emily Harris AU - Melanie Wendland AU - Courtney Chang AU - Dyness Kasungami AU - Monisha Ashok AU - Metsehate Ayenekulu Y1 - 2021/11/29 UR - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/9/Supplement_2/S261.abstract N2 - Key MessagesReflections from 3 global health programs using human-centered design (HCD) offer 3 categories of lessons for those considering similar approaches:Planning while considering the needs of both traditional global health and HCD approachesEngaging key stakeholders to build understanding, alignment, and buy-in from the outsetApplying approaches differently from the way both designers and global health actors are accustomed to working to promote long-term program sustainability and learningKey ImplicationsIf implemented appropriately, integrating HCD into global health programming can produce a virtuous cycle between co-creation, stakeholder buy-in, and quality of outputs. The more that programs engage stakeholders in an inclusive, participatory process, the greater their continued willingness and motivation. This in turn allows for more iteration and higher quality, better-tailored outputs that are more likely to be sustainably used and scaled.To engender this virtuous cycle, programs that incorporate an HCD approach will need to be scoped differently than traditional global health programs (e.g., more flexible timelines; dedicated budget for implementation and capacity building, etc.).Because stakeholders may perceive a higher risk of failure with a new approach, proponents of HCD are faced with a substantial burden of evidence to persuade actors to consider its benefits. However, traditional global health actors should consider alternative approaches to measuring HCD’s contributions, including perceived end user value.Background:Human-centered design (HCD) is increasingly being used as a complementary approach to traditional global health methods due to its ability to bring new ideas to entrenched problems, integrate multiple stakeholder perspectives, and bring in a strong human lens among other advantages. To reap these benefits, public health and design practitioners in global health programs can learn from the early experiences of integrating HCD to advance these efforts.Objective:This article distills lessons gathered from 3 programs leveraging HCD to advance global health programming: (1) the “V” program which used an HCD approach to reframe the once-a-day HIV prevention pill from a potentially stigmatizing medicine into empowering self-care; (2) the Adolescents 360 program which integrated HCD to create a service for adolescent girls to access contraception in Ethiopia and to scale this offering nationwide; and (3) Reimagining TA which used HCD to help shift perceptions around traditional technical assistance models to one of co-creation, defining a new approach for non-financial support for health systems strengthening.Findings:To inform global health programs that are considering employing an HCD approach, lessons learned are distilled into 3 categories: (1) planning: considerations for problem definition and project scoping to allow for flexibility and selection of appropriate methods; (2) engaging: reflections on the means to productively engage different stakeholder groups to build alignment, understanding, and buy-in; (3) applying: adoption of new ways of working during implementation to best take advantage of the benefits of HCD while promoting long-term program sustainability and learning.Conclusion:These lessons represent an important step on the pathway to demonstrate the contributions of HCD to improving the effectiveness of health programs at a time when the global health community needs the most robust set of tools possible to meet the demands of our current pandemic context and beyond. ER -