Playbook

HCD+ Playbook

The HCD+ Playbook by Singapore Polytechnic’s User Experience Centre (SP UXC) is a pioneering guide that reimagines design beyond individuals to include the collective wellbeing of humanity and the planet. HCD+, short for Humanity-Centred Design, builds on the foundations of traditional Human-Centred Design (HCD) but introduces a deeper, more sustainable lens — integrating social equity, systems thinking, and environmental responsibility into every stage of innovation.

This playbook is inspired by the visionary work of Professor Don Norman, who advocates for a shift from designing for users to designing for humanity. SP UXC’s framework puts this into action through a five-stage process: Envision, Empathise, Create, Evaluate, and Deliver. Unlike conventional design guides, it’s not just about creating usable products, but about transforming organisations and individuals into agents of sustainable change.

At the heart of the HCD+ approach are five core sustainable innovation principles:

1. Systems Thinking

2. Holistic Wellbeing

3. Bioinspiration

4. Circularity

5. Social Equity & Inclusion

Additionally, the playbook calls for six critical mindset shifts, such as expanding empathy to all living things and adopting long-term perspectives.

Designed for practitioners, leaders, educators, and students, the HCD+ Playbook offers practical methods, tools, and strategies to foster meaningful, inclusive innovation. It encourages readers to address real-world constraints like cost, resources, and resistance to change, by framing them as opportunities for creativity and collaboration.

Ultimately, this is more than a guide — it’s a call-to-action to design for People, Planet, Product, and Profit (the 4Ps). SP UXC invites all changemakers to join the HCD+ movement and co-create a future where humanity and nature thrive together.