Designing with People, Not for Them Lessons from Human-Centered Design

The Nambo Udik idea was straightforward: improve children’s exposure to English by providing books and basic reading support. At the beginning, most decisions came from me. I determined what types of books to collect, how to categorize them, and how the learning sessions would run. While teachers supported implementation, the overall design was largely driven by my own assumptions about what rural students needed.

Students were involved as recipients, not decision-makers.

Looking back, this raises an important reflection: was the design driven by empathy or assumption?

What I learned: 

• Human-centered design: I learned that meaningful solutions begin with people, not ideas. Human-centered design emphasizes understanding users’ lived experiences before proposing interventions. In the context of Nambo Udik, this meant recognizing that literacy is not just about books; it is about motivation, teaching methods, cultural context, and learning pace. Designing with students and teachers matters far more than designing for them.

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• Prototyping and iteration: Rather than aiming for a fully polished program from the start, I learned the value of testing small and improving continuously. The initial version of Nambo Udik was essentially a prototype: collecting books, organizing levels, and running reading sessions. Each stage revealed insights that helped refine the approach.

• Feedback as data, not criticism: This mindset shift was powerful. Instead of viewing feedback emotionally, I began to treat it as information. Teacher observations, student engagement levels, and participation patterns became data points that guided improvement.

Reflection: What I Had to Unlearn

One of the hardest parts of this journey was unlearning perfectionism. 

I had to become comfortable with incomplete “messy” solutions. Initially, I wanted everything to feel organized and successful from the start. But I learned that early imperfection is part of learning.  

Most importantly, solutions do not arrive fully formed. This project evolved through trial and reflection, what seemed logical on paper sometimes fell flat in classrooms, while smalll changes made unexpectedly large differences. 

Application to the Nambo Udik Project: 

• Redesign sessions to be more interactive, incorporating simple speaking activities, group reading, and informal discussions rather than purely textbook-style learning.

• Book levelling: Use the teacher’s input to help refine placement based on actual student reading ability, improving accessibility and reducing frustration. 

Opening a donation box and shipping books was only the starting point. Real impact emerged through listening, adapting, and learning alongside teachers and students. Design is not a one-time action, it is a continuous learning process.

When communities are treated as collaborators rather than beneficiaries, and feedback is embraced as insight, social initiatives become more relevant, inclusive, and sustainable.