Images courtesy of IDEO.org. The landing page for the HCD Connect website.

Can social media drive social change? Today, IDEO.org launched HCD Connect, an online community for organizations and individuals, "who are taking a human-centered approach to poverty-related challenges around the world." The site encourages users who want to leverage the ideas and strategies introduced in the Human Centered Design Toolkit to share stories and resources while learning more about the process.

The Methods page provides a place to learn more about the individual human-centered design methods contained inside the HCD Toolkit.

Designed by IDEO.org with a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the site offers useful tips for those interested in employing the HCD Toolkit while connecting users to one another. On the site's landing page, the first thing new users are encouraged to do is to connect with others by location and/or focus areas. Each user can then, in turn, setup a story page so they can share their own work and projects. User story pages include an overview of the project, the location and focus area of the social work (health, gender equity, education etc.) and what methods were employed to support the work. In this way, users can seek out like-minded projects and share resources across borders, "so they can build on each other's ideas and tap into the power of the community." In a few months, community members will be able to apply for microgrants to initiate or implement project solutions.

HCD Connect was created as a result of the enthusiasm IDEO and the foundation saw around the HCD Toolkit. IDEO designed the toolkit for organizations and individuals who want to use design methodology to innovate and solve problems in the social sector. The toolkit outlines the step-by-step process IDEO has used over the years. It has been downloaded more than 74,000 times.

IDEO.org is hoping HCD Connect will grow into a vibrant community that supports newcomers to the design process, connects experienced practitioners, and provides support for everyone working to implement HCD methods into their work on social sector challenges.

Watch the beautiful video of how human-centered design has made a difference for Proximity, an aid organization based in Myanmar.

The Stories page is a place for HCD Connect users to post their own stories about how they've used the HCD Toolkit or learn about other human-centered design projects.

An individual story detail page where an HCD Connect community member has told a story about using the methods and approaches in the HCD Toolkit.