How to make a human-centred organisation

What are the benefits of a human-centred organisation?

A business that applies a human-centred design approach can increase the loyalty and trust of its customers, shareholders and employees, and improve staff motivation. It can also decrease staff turnover and ultimately contribute to a happier, healthier workforce.

Want to know more?

System Concepts founder Tom Stewart and a team of heath & safety, ergonomics, usability and accessibility experts set out seven guidelines in the British and International Standard ISO 27500 on how to make a business more human centred.

Here, we summarise the seven key guidelines and provide tips for applying them at your organisation.

How can we make our organisation more human-centred?

1. Embrace people’s differences

There is no such thing as a “standard person” and businesses should see people’s differences as a strength. A human-centred organisation uses ergonomics and social data to gain an understanding of its workforce and creates teams with a complementary set of skills.

• Invest in adjustable office technology and furnishings.
• Have a company-wide ergonomics programme.
• Ensure job role design takes into account people’s capabilities and limitations.

2. Prioritise UX and accessibility

A human-centred organisation uses international standards and best practices to ensure that products, systems and services are accessible and usable by both their employees and their customers.

• Apply recognised UX and AX standards to the design and development of your products.
• Ensure that usability and accessibility testing are scheduled into each development project.
• Make time and free-up resources to implement changes to products that do not meet UX or AX requirements.

3. Harmonise your environment

A human-centred organisation is an ecosystem and should ensure that all elements (human, technical and environmental) can work in harmony.

• Allow systems to evolve through design interactions and not in a single step.
• Allow individuals choice and control over their work and give them responsibility for its outcome.
• Ensure tasks are developed to make sense as a whole job.

4. Protect your people

A healthy workplace improves productivity, increases staff retention and the quality of work whilst reducing errors. It is the organisation’s responsibility to take necessary steps to protect employees from health, safety and wellbeing hazards.

• Plan proactive health, safety and wellbeing initiatives and risk assessment programmes.
• Have a professional and caring attitude.
• Provide suitable health and safety training for all staff and managers.

5. Create meaningful work

A human-centred organisation ensures that employees at all levels (regardless of gender, age, personal belief and orientation) share the vision of the business and can contribute via meaningful tasks.

• Avoid an “us and them” culture.
• Encourage a “no blame” culture.
• Ensure that staff understand the business as a whole and are not restricted to their immediate task.

6. Be open and trustworthy

A human-centred organisation ensures that it communicates openly and transparently with its staff and the outside world.

• Ensure that transparency is an organisational policy.
• Put in place effective methods to encourage communication between staff at any level.
• Embrace customer feedback, whether positive or negative.

7. Act in an ethical way

A human-centred organisation is socially responsible and ethical. It instils pride and confidence in its employees, its customers and the wider community.

• Enable staff to engage in socially responsible ways during work time.
• Offer payroll giving and/or donation matching incentives.
• Encourage volunteering for causes that are meaningful to your employees.

Thinking of making your business more human-centred ? We can help!

At System Concepts, we understand the value of applying human-centred design methodologies. Our experts in UX, user research, ergonomics, digital and physical accessibility, usability testing and health and safety can help you better understand and protect your workforce and help make your products, systems and internal process more usable and accessible to all!