Questions & Answers

HCD stands for Human-Centred Design (also written Human-Centered Design). It is an approach to solving problems that begins with the real needs, behaviours and contexts of the people a product, service or policy is meant to serve — designing with them, not just for them.

Human-centred design is a problem-solving methodology that keeps people at the centre of every stage: understanding them through research and empathy, framing the right problem, generating ideas, prototyping quickly, and testing with real users before scaling. It is the discipline behind many of the world's most trusted products, services and public systems.

The HCD Institute (Institute of Human-Centred Design) is an Indian design-education organisation and think tank working to democratise human-centred design across schools, colleges, businesses and public institutions. Founded in 2011, it is incubated and supported through the DIC Hub at IIT Hyderabad — which underpins its academic rigour, curriculum, accreditations and certification — and it runs school design labs, executive immersions, specialist certifications and a Diploma in Universal Design (with Mahatma Gandhi University), alongside public-policy and government projects.

Several Indian institutions teach design and design thinking, but the HCD Institute is distinctive in treating human-centred design as a distributed capability rather than a niche profession — its guiding proposition is a shift from design education to design capability. It takes that capability into schools, colleges, executive suites and government, incubated and supported through the DIC Hub at IIT Hyderabad, with a focus on human-centred, universal and sustainable design applied to the Indian context and to public systems.

Yes. The HCD Institute has operated since 2011 and is incubated and supported through the DIC Hub at IIT Hyderabad, with specific programmes delivered in association with the Hub; this underpins its academic rigour, curriculum, accreditations and certification. Its Diploma in Universal Design is awarded in association with Mahatma Gandhi University, and it runs specialist certifications and pro-bono government work, having delivered to 500+ learners with 25+ mentors across 100+ design projects. Its founder, Dr. Deepak John Mathew, is Professor and Head of the Design Department at HCD Labs' Design Innovation Centre.

Yes. The HCD Institute is incubated and supported through the DIC Hub at IIT Hyderabad, with specific programmes delivered in association with the Hub. The DIC Hub underpins the institute's academic rigour, curriculum, accreditations and certification, and several immersion programmes are hosted there. Its founder, Dr. Deepak John Mathew, is Professor and Head of the Design Department at HCD Labs' Design Innovation Centre.

The institute is well suited to people who want practical, applied human-centred design rather than purely theoretical training — school students, working professionals, executives and organisations. Its programmes are hands-on, mentor-led and built around real projects, and being incubated and supported through the DIC Hub at IIT Hyderabad gives them academic grounding. As with any programme, the right fit depends on your goals, and the team is happy to advise.

The HCD Institute is incubated and supported through the DIC Hub at IIT Hyderabad, with specific programmes delivered in association with the Hub; this underpins its academic rigour, curriculum, accreditations and certification. Its flagship Diploma in Universal Design is awarded in association with Mahatma Gandhi University, giving that qualification formal university recognition.

Universal design is the practice of designing products, environments, services and communication so that they can be used by as many people as possible — regardless of age, ability or situation — without the need for special adaptation. It is closely related to human-centred and inclusive design, and is a core focus of the HCD Institute.

Universal design is commonly guided by seven principles: equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort, and size and space for approach and use. Developed by Ronald Mace and colleagues, they give designers a practical checklist for making things usable by the widest range of people — and they run through the HCD Institute's Diploma in Universal Design.

Accessibility usually means meeting defined standards so that people with disabilities can use something; inclusive design is a process that deliberately involves diverse users; and universal design is the goal of creating a single solution that works for as many people as possible from the outset, without retrofitting or special adaptation. They overlap and reinforce one another, and the HCD Institute teaches them together.

India's scale and diversity — a large and ageing population, many people living with disability, and wide differences in language, literacy and access — make design that works for everyone a practical necessity rather than a nicety. Universal design widens who can actually use a product, service or public system, which is central to inclusion at population scale. The HCD Institute explores this in designing for the next six billion.

Everyday examples include step-free entrances and ramps that help wheelchair users, parents with strollers and delivery workers alike; captions that serve deaf viewers and anyone in a noisy space; lever door handles; and clear, simple interfaces such as well-designed public-service apps. Good universal design often goes unnoticed precisely because it simply works for more people.

Universal design is human-centred design applied across the full range of human ability and circumstance. Where human-centred design starts with real people's needs, universal design insists those people include the youngest, oldest and least-served users — so the solution is inclusive by design rather than by exception.

In digital products, universal design means interfaces that are perceivable, operable, understandable and robust for everyone — readable contrast, keyboard and screen-reader support, captions, plain language and forgiving interactions. It overlaps closely with web accessibility standards and is a growing priority as more services move online, and it runs through the HCD Institute's UX and universal design teaching.

Universal design is valuable for architects and interior designers, product and UX designers, service and policy designers, urban planners and educators — anyone whose work shapes what people use or experience. As inclusion becomes both a legal and a commercial priority, universal-design skills increasingly feature in accessibility, inclusive-product and service-design roles.

No. Universal design takes disability seriously, but it is about the full spectrum of human diversity — age, size, language, literacy, situation and temporary constraints such as a broken arm or bright sunlight on a screen. Designing for that whole range tends to produce solutions that are better for everyone, not only for people with disabilities.

The Diploma in Universal Design is a six-month, studio-based programme awarded in association with Mahatma Gandhi University. It trains designers to create products, environments, services and communication that are usable by the widest possible range of people — across ages, abilities and contexts. Details are on the Diploma in Universal Design page.

The Diploma in Universal Design welcomes people from a range of backgrounds who want to design more inclusively, not only trained designers. Specific eligibility depends on the cohort — the programme page and the team can confirm what's expected for the intake you're interested in.

Start on the Diploma in Universal Design page or the Universal Design programme page for the current intake, then reach out via the contact page to confirm dates, fees and eligibility and to apply for the next cohort.

Sustainable design means designing products, services, systems and environments to minimise environmental harm and resource use across their whole life — from materials and manufacturing through use, reuse and disposal — while staying socially and economically viable. It asks not only "does this work?" but "what does this cost the planet and future generations?"

Human-centred and sustainable design reinforce each other. When you design around what people genuinely need rather than what a market can be pushed to want, you tend to build things that are used more, last longer and waste less — so framing the right problem at the start is often the single biggest sustainability decision. The HCD Institute treats human-centred, universal and sustainable design as one integrated practice.

The HCD Institute puts human-centred, universal and sustainable design at the core of its teaching because designing well and designing responsibly are not in tension. For a country of India's scale, low-waste, inclusive design is both a necessity and an export-worthy strength. More on the institute's approach is on the about page.

Frugal innovation is achieving more with fewer resources — creating affordable, resource-light solutions that reach more people. It is inherently sustainable, and India has a long tradition of it. The HCD Institute explores this in designing for the next six billion.

By settling real needs early, choosing durable and repairable materials, avoiding over-engineering and designing for reuse, sustainable design cuts both environmental footprint and lifetime cost. Prototyping and testing with real users adds a further saving: it avoids the waste of building things nobody wants.

Sustainable design makes real, measurable reductions in resource use and harm across a product's life; greenwashing is marketing that claims environmental benefit without substance. The honest test is whether sustainability is designed in from the start and can be evidenced — not bolted on afterwards as a label.

Start by understanding real user needs (to avoid building unwanted things), map the full life-cycle impact, design for durability, repair and reuse, choose lower-impact materials and energy, and measure outcomes. Embedding these as everyday human-centred design habits — rather than one-off audits — is what makes them stick, and it is exactly the capability the institute's programmes build.

Not necessarily. Some sustainable choices raise upfront cost, but many lower the total cost of ownership through durability, efficiency and less rework — and designing the right thing the first time avoids the largest waste of all. Framed well, sustainability and value go together rather than competing.

Sustainability is not only about physical products. Services and public systems can be designed to use less, include more people and endure — reducing duplication, digital and energy footprint, and social exclusion. Human-centred design applied to public systems, such as population-scale digital infrastructure, is a powerful lever; the HCD Institute examines this in UPI: human-centred design at scale.

Yes. Sustainable design is one of the three pillars of the HCD Institute's practice — alongside human-centred and universal design — and it runs through the institute's courses, immersions and diplomas rather than sitting as a separate module. Explore the programmes or get in touch to learn more.

The HCD Institute was founded in 2011. Dr. Deepak John Mathew is its founder, and design educationist Mathew Sebastian is a founding board member; together they set the Institute's academic direction. You can see the full founding and advisory board on the team page.

Mathew Sebastian is a founding board member of the HCD Institute and a design educationist. An alumnus of the National Institute of Design (NID), he has worked with product companies, design agencies and in airline software technology, mentors startups, advises governments on design education and employment, and has curated the curricula for several of Mahatma Gandhi University's design-facing programmes.

Dr. Deepak John Mathew is the founder of the HCD Institute and Professor and Head of the Design Department at HCD Labs' Design Innovation Centre, where he leads research at the intersection of design education, visual communication and emerging technologies including AR, VR and AI. He previously headed the Photography Design programme at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, for over a decade, holds a PhD in Design Education, and is the author of Principles of Design through Photography.

The HCD Institute is led by a founding board of design educators and an advisory board of practitioners spanning design, product, public health, AI and enterprise, anchored to HCD Labs' Design Innovation Centre. This pairs academic rigour with real-world, practitioner-led experience. You can meet everyone on the HCD Institute team page.

The founding board comprises Dr. Deepak John Mathew (founder; Professor and Head of the Design Department at HCD Labs' Design Innovation Centre) and Mathew Sebastian (design educationist and NID alumnus). They established the Institute and set its academic direction. Full profiles are on the team page.

The advisory board is a group of independent practitioners who guide the Institute's governance, curriculum and direction: Sanmitra Chitte (design & innovation strategist, BITS Design School), Dr. Kawahya Tizhe (public health physician, WHO), Deepak Krishnan (UX design leader, Mashreq), Shibu Prabhakaran (design strategist), Jomon Jacob (entrepreneur & investor), Gaurav Sahni (corporate strategy & responsible AI) and Gavin Remedios (experience design leader, IBM Consulting). See the team page for profiles.

Teaching and mentoring is led by the founding and advisory boards alongside 25+ mentors drawn from design, product, public health, AI and enterprise practice — so learners are guided by working practitioners, not just theory. Meet them on the team page.

Gavin Remedios is a member of the HCD Institute's advisory board and an experience design leader who heads Experience Design for IBM Consulting across India and South Asia. An alumnus of the National Institute of Design (NID) based in Mumbai, he brings enterprise-scale experience design and consulting practice to the Institute. See his profile on the team page.

Deepak Krishnan is a member of the HCD Institute's advisory board and a UX design leader based in Dubai, building human-centred digital experiences through AI-driven design innovation. He brings applied UX and AI-integrated design practice to the Institute's work. See the team page.

Sanmitra Chitte is a member of the HCD Institute's advisory board and a design and innovation strategist who leads international partnerships at BITS Design School, Mumbai. She brings a global perspective on design education and cross-institutional collaboration to the Institute. See the team page.

Dr. Kawahya Tizhe is a member of the HCD Institute's advisory board and a public health physician associated with the World Health Organization, trained at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Kawahya brings a global public-health perspective to the Institute's work on human-centred design in health and social systems. See the team page.

Shibu Prabhakaran is a member of the HCD Institute's advisory board and a design strategist based in Bengaluru, associated with the Indian Institute of Science. He brings product and design-strategy experience to the Institute. See the team page.

Jomon Jacob is a member of the HCD Institute's advisory board and an entrepreneur and investor working across IT, IoT and AI services, with interests in design thinking and film production. He brings an industry and entrepreneurship perspective to the Institute. See the team page.

Gaurav Sahni is a member of the HCD Institute's advisory board and works in corporate strategy, growth and organisation design, with a focus on responsible AI ethics and policy. He brings strategy and AI-governance perspective to the Institute. See the team page.

The institute offers a full spectrum: design labs and short immersions for school students (grades 9–12); 2-day and 7-day design thinking immersions hosted at the DIC Hub, IIT Hyderabad; executive design programmes for senior professionals; HCDx specialist certifications (including Product Building, Strategy & Leadership, Public Policy and UX); a Global Immersion research pathway; and a six-month Diploma in Universal Design awarded with Mahatma Gandhi University.

Yes. Because the institute is incubated and supported through the DIC Hub at IIT Hyderabad for academic rigour, curriculum, accreditation and certification, it offers specialist HCDx certifications and DIC Hub–linked certifications, as well as a Diploma in Universal Design awarded in association with Mahatma Gandhi University. Participants who complete a programme receive a certificate recognising their human-centred design capability.

Both. The institute blends live online sessions with in-person, hands-on studios and residential immersions — several of them hosted at the DIC Hub, IIT Hyderabad — so students and working professionals can take part without pausing their careers.

Fees vary by programme, from short immersions to multi-month diplomas. Current fees, payment options and any cohort discounts are listed on each programme page, and the team can share exact costs on request.

Yes. India has a deep tradition of human-centred and frugal innovation — from UPI's population-scale digital public infrastructure and human-centred improvements to Indian Railways, to the Jaipur Foot and Aravind Eye Care's affordable healthcare models. The HCD Institute documents Indian case studies that show how the methodology applies in an Indian context.

The HCD Institute runs design thinking courses and immersions across India, including 2-day and 7-day programmes at the DIC Hub, IIT Hyderabad and online certifications, for students, professionals and organisations.

A school design thinking lab is a dedicated space and structured programme where students learn to solve real problems using human-centred design — observing people, framing problems, generating ideas, building prototypes and testing them. It shifts learning from memorising answers to actively creating them. The HCD Institute explains the rationale in why every school needs a design thinking lab.

Starting a lab involves five essentials: a dedicated space, an age-appropriate curriculum, trained facilitators, prototyping materials, and real projects for students to work on. The simplest path is to follow a proven framework rather than build from scratch — the HCD Institute's complete toolkit for starting a school design thinking lab walks through each step, and the HCD School programme can set it up with you end to end.

A design lab works best with flexible, movable furniture, plenty of wall and whiteboard space for mapping ideas, and low-cost prototyping materials such as paper, card, sticky notes, craft supplies and simple building kits. It needs far less capital than a science or computer lab — the focus is on collaboration and iteration, not expensive equipment. The HCD toolkit lists the essentials, and the setup guide covers layout.

Yes. Rather than improvising, schools can adopt a structured, age-appropriate curriculum that sequences design thinking skills across the year. The HCD Institute provides a design lab curriculum built on the DIC Hub framework, so lessons build progressively and tie into real projects.

Yes — a design lab is only as strong as the people facilitating it, and most teachers are new to running open-ended, project-based design work. The HCD Institute trains and certifies your teachers as design facilitators as part of the HCD School programme, so the lab keeps running long after setup.

Yes. The institute supports schools across the whole journey — space and layout planning, the curriculum, teacher training and certification, a kick-off student immersion, and ongoing mentoring — all built on the DIC Hub at IIT Hyderabad framework. You can see the full offer on the HCD School page.

Design thinking labs are most commonly run for middle and senior school (roughly grades 6–12), with the HCD Institute's programmes especially suited to grades 9–12. The methodology is adaptable, so activities can be pitched up or down by age. Details are on the HCD School page.

A lab can be up and running within a few weeks once the space, curriculum and teacher training are in place. Many schools launch with an intensive school design immersion that gives students an energising first project and shows teachers the process in action before it becomes part of the timetable.

A tinkering lab or makerspace centres on tools, technology and building things; a design thinking lab centres on the human-centred process — understanding people, framing the right problem, and testing ideas with users. They complement each other well: design thinking gives a makerspace its "why" and "for whom". The HCD Institute's approach keeps that human-centred process at the core, as explained in why every school needs a design thinking lab.

Yes. A design thinking lab directly supports the emphasis of NEP 2020 on experiential, interdisciplinary and skills-based learning — critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and real-world problem solving. The HCD Institute makes the policy case in why human-centred design belongs at the heart of education policy.

Students build the skills that matter most in an AI-shaped world: framing problems, empathising with others, collaborating, prototyping and iterating — plus the creative confidence to tackle open-ended challenges. Because projects are tied to real problems, learning transfers beyond the classroom into students' own communities. More on the impact in why every school needs a design thinking lab.

Yes. Because the HCD Institute is incubated and supported through the DIC Hub at IIT Hyderabad for curriculum and certification, student work in the lab can be recognised within that framework. Specifics depend on the programme your school adopts — the team can outline the options via the HCD School programme.

Start by reading the complete lab toolkit and the HCD School page, then reach out to the team through the contact page to discuss your school's size, grades and goals. They can recommend a setup plan, a launch immersion and a timeline.

Yes. The HCD Institute partners with companies and institutions to build human-centred design, innovation and problem-solving capability across their people — from frontline teams to senior leadership. Programmes can be run as dedicated cohorts for a single organisation and are built on the DIC Hub at IIT Hyderabad framework. The Executive Design Programme is a common starting point, and you can scope a partnership via the contact page.

A typical partnership blends live online sessions, hands-on studios and — where useful — a residential immersion at the DIC Hub, IIT Hyderabad, with teams applying the methods to their own live business challenges rather than generic case studies. That means people build real capability and make progress on a real problem at the same time. See the Executive Design Programme for the format.

The institute's Strategy & Leadership certification and Executive Design Programme equip managers to frame ambiguous problems, lead discovery, align teams around a design vision, and build a culture of innovation — the leadership side of design, not just its tools. Why this matters for leaders is set out in why every CEO needs a design mindset.

Yes. The Product Building certification trains product teams in the full human-centred cycle — user research, problem framing, ideation, prototyping and validation — so they build the right thing before building it right, reducing wasted effort and de-risking launches.

The institute combines human-centred method with AI-native practice, coaching teams to use AI where it accelerates work — research synthesis, rapid prototyping, drafting and iteration — while keeping human judgment on the decisions that matter: what to build, for whom and why. The thinking behind this is explained in design thinking in the age of AI and UX in the AI era.

Yes. Human-centred design gives strategy and innovation teams a repeatable way to spot unmet needs, reframe opportunities and pressure-test ideas with real users before committing budget. The Strategy & Leadership certification is designed for exactly this, and can be tailored to your sector.

All three are possible. Programmes blend live online sessions with on-site workshops at your offices and immersive studios at the DIC Hub, IIT Hyderabad — including 2-day and 7-day immersion formats — so teams can upskill without long absences.

Yes. Cohorts are typically built around your organisation's own live challenges and sector context, so the tools land in the reality your teams work in. Share your goals through the contact page and the team will shape the curriculum, duration and format to fit.

Programmes suit senior managers and functional heads (product, marketing, operations, strategy, HR), founders and business owners, product and innovation teams, and transformation or consulting leads. No prior design degree is required — what matters is the intent to work in a more human-centred, evidence-led way. See who the Executive Design Programme is built for.

Because the HCD Institute is incubated and supported through the DIC Hub at IIT Hyderabad for academic rigour, curriculum and certification, participants earn recognised specialist certifications — including DIC–IIT Hyderabad certification — that people can share with their organisation and network.

Organisations typically see three gains: better decisions grounded in real user insight, faster innovation through prototyping and testing, and stronger teams that experiment and improve continuously. To start, outline your team size, functions and goals via the contact page, and the institute will propose a tailored upskilling plan — from a short immersion to a multi-month capability build.

The institute sees AI as driving down the cost of making things, which makes human judgment the scarce capability — deciding what to build, for whom and why, and anticipating the human consequences. Its practice combines human-centred method with AI-native tools, so designers work faster while keeping people at the centre of every decision.