Toolbox & Glossary

On this page you will find various Human-Centered Design (HCD) tools that can help you take on complex challenges.
You will also find a helpful glossary of commonly used terms in our HCD courses here on Kaleidoscope.
HCD Toolbox

Tools for Every Challenge

Journey Mapping

An easy, practical, and widely-used method to guide the design process. journey mapping serves as a magnifying glass, providing new viewpoints on familiar challenges that may have been overlooked earlier

Research Tool - P.O.E.M.S.

This tool helps with structured observation of environments and processes. It is particularly useful for complex environments that have multiple spaces and services within them which need to be mapped and observed independently.

Define Tool - Personas

Personas are archetypes formed as a semi-fictional representation of service users or providers based on research data. They help to create empathy for people and to avoid using one’s self as a reference point in the design process. 

Define Tool - Empathy Map

This tool uses a specific group of experiences and needs as an organising principle to help you empathise with the people for whom are designing. They help you better understand the motivations of your target groups as well as how the context shapes those motivations.

Create Tool - Better/Worse

This is an idea generation method that encourages your team to generate ideas that are both useful and counterproductive to your design challenge. Generating ideas in this way encourages your team to see new opportunities even in challenges. 

Test Tool - Puppets

Versatile tool used during the Test phase to create interactive storyboards of concepts in order to trial them with people from your target groups. This helps you to visually explain different scenarios and parts of the service journey in ways that are more relatable than written text.
quick reference

Glossary of HCD Terms

Drag to resize

Want to learn more about using these tools?
Join our free course - HCD Basics

Created with