Whose needs are these anyway? How to find out if your organization is really as user-centred as it claims to be.

“User needs first”, “Design with people”, “human-centred ways of working” - these are mantras we hear leaders repeat again and again, but do our organizations actually live up to this promise? Or are most of our “user needs” actually “stakeholder wants” in disguise? 

Understanding and focusing on user needs is critical for governments and businesses to build products and services that work for the people we serve. But all too often, user-centred design can feel separate from the everyday work we’re doing. This talk will help participants reflect on the user centred-ness of their team and organization and understand the difference between the needs of service users and the needs of the business or government.

We’ll explore what ‘good’ user centred-ness looks like, and look at organizations that have successfully made the users the main focus of their work. We’ll also give some ideas on how people at all levels can shift the focus to where it matters most - the people on the other end of the service.