Welcome to the Haus Design Hub. This is where we get to geek out on all things design, be inspired by others, share some of our knowledge and hopefully answer some questions you might have along the way.

 In this blog post, we want to talk a bit about the concept of "design" and what it means to us.

Good design can changes lives, it can make the world a better, more beautiful place, it can elevate the everyday and help create rituals and memories that last forever. There is of course a huge variance in what someone thinks is good design. We can look to design mags for inspiration and scour pinterest and insta to look for the latest trends in interior design, which is super fun and not a time vortex at all!. It's awesome to get inspiration but reducing design to pretty pictures in flawless houses with no one in them, doesn't encapsulate what good design is. Good design is something that works for you, the person who will use it.

This is where the term human centred design comes in. What is human centred design? It's basically design that at it's core is about addressing the needs of the people who will use a product or space, by working collaboratively with those people. How does it differ from other design? It's about the process you use to get the end result. Important words in human centred design are: collaboration, active listening and empathy.

This can all sound a little fluffy and buzz wordy (if that's a word). But design approach has real practical outcomes for the end user.  Traditionally design has been a top down approach.  Designers are the experts who prescribe how we should live, what we should wear, what the latest trends are and who has access to them. It's a kind of one size fits all approach and if it doesn't work for you, there's something wrong with you, not the design. 

If your designer takes a human centred approach, then they're information gatherers.  They approach a project with openness and curiosity.  Understanding that the design is only good if it is used and loved by the user. They'll put you at the centre.  

So for us at Haus, what this means practically,  is that our design team's first port of call is finding out how you live. We do this by coming to site, sitting down, having a cuppa and asking questions. If for example you were needing a new kitchen, we'd ask things like, what's your morning ritual? Are your mornings rushed and frantic, or slow and deliberate? How many people use the kitchen at one time? Do you love to cook, or just reheat and eat? Is there anything about the space you have now that you love and don't want to lose? How long do you imagine living here? Does the space need to grow and change with your family? Just to name a few. You're the expert in how you live,  and our job is to ask the right questions and listen to the answers.

We then bring our experience and training together to think of ways to design around your habits, so that your kitchen will "work" as you need it to. Those answers will inform spatial planning, flow and function as well as material choice. It allows us to create a space unique to you. We draw up what we think, then collaborate with you to get it just right. It's a process and certainly doesn't happen in one appointment! The "speed design" used by larger off the shelf companies, rarely in our opinion gets the best result. Our typical process is around 3 days for concept design then around a week to refine and choose materials and colours, depending of course, on the scale of the project.

There's a lot of theory and things written about human centred design and its approaches, if you're interested check out some of the links below. But perhaps the most important thing to remember is that you have unique needs. Often the best designer for you is going to be the one that listens and takes those needs seriously, not someone in a rush to sign on the day or impose their ideas on you. Design should be collaborative and you should feel heard every step of the way. That's how we approach every project. 

Now that you know how we approach design we're super excited to go on this design journey together and would love to hear from you., Follow us on our socials for comment and let us know what good design means to you.

Here's some links about Human Centred Design, for those of you who love buffing up on theory

Our personal favourite Jan Gehl, the man who redesigns cities to be more human!  Know how we all love the lane ways and meandering nature of Melbourne city. Well you can thank Jan Gehl.  Read more about him and his ideas herehttps://gehlpeople.com/

Ideo is one of the major design innovation companies.  They are mostly product based but are pioneers in human centred design. Here they outline this type of design thinking neatly https://www.usertesting.com/blog/how-ideo-uses-customer-insights-to-design-innovative-products-users-love

These Brisbane Gals know a bit about human centred design and work with Architectural firms, Commercial and Council Projects to ensure they have a process for design that is centred around the user.  Check them out they're local and doing great things! https://www.surroundings.com.au/