Learn
Schools
Practice
Research
The HCD Lab · A design thinking curriculum for schools
Where students learn to solve real problems for real people.
A complete K–12 human-centred design programme, mapped to NEP 2020's 5+3+3+4 structure, delivered with curriculum, teacher training and certification from DIC, IIT Hyderabad.
The spine
Not a room of equipment. A programme with a spine.
Age-graded, teacher-ready, and built around one non-negotiable rule: every child tests their ideas with real people.
One method, every age
The same five-movement cycle runs through the whole school.
Simplified for the youngest, made rigorous for the oldest.
01
Immerse
Observe real people in their real world.
02
Frame
Turn what you noticed into the right problem.
03
Imagine
Generate many possibilities before choosing.
04
Build
Prototype rough, cheap and fast.
05
Test
Put it in front of real people and learn.
Held together by six mindsets
The curriculum, stage by stage
Four stages, matched to NEP 2020's structure.
| Stage | Grades & ages | Theme | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundational | Balvatika–Grade 2 · Ages 3–8 | The Curious Eye | Woven into existing play time · 1–2 short sessions a week · no dedicated lab needed |
| Preparatory | Grades 3–5 · Ages 8–11 | Problems Belong to People | One complete cycle per term · integrates with EVS, art, language · simple materials shelf |
| Middle | Grades 6–8 · Ages 11–14 | The Real Design Cycle | Dedicated weekly double period · a functioning HCD Lab space · term-long projects · pairs with Atal Tinkering Lab |
| Secondary | Grades 9–12 · Ages 14–18 | Design for the World | Dedicated lab time · mentor-guided projects · external showcase · portfolio review |
Foundational Stage · Ages 3–8 · Balvatika–Grade 2
The Curious Eye.
Protect and grow the creative confidence children are born with. No frameworks, no vocabulary — just wonder, noticing and making.
- Observation games: "What did you notice on the way to school?"
- Empathy through story and role-play — being the tiger, the grandmother, the tree
- Building with blocks, clay, sand and found materials
- The "Why?" habit — asking without fear
- Show-and-tell as first "testing": did my friend understand?
- Sample projectThe Kindness Machine — children build (in blocks or clay) a machine that helps someone in their family, show it to that person at home, and report what they said.
- OutcomesCuriosity · observation · empathy through play · joy in making · confidence to share unfinished work
- FormatWoven into existing play time · 1–2 short sessions a week · no dedicated lab needed
Preparatory Stage · Grades 3–5 · Ages 8–11
Problems Belong to People.
Introduce the core idea that design serves a person, and run the first simple, complete cycles.
- Notice a real problem in the classroom or home
- Draw or describe the person who has the problem
- Imagine three different solutions — quantity over quality
- Build one from craft materials
- Show it to the person it's for, and listen
- Sample projectThe Helper — each student picks one person in school whose day is hard (the water-can carrier, a younger student, the gardener), interviews them with three questions, and prototypes one small help.
- OutcomesProblem-spotting · perspective-taking · generating options · basic making · listening without defending
- FormatOne complete cycle per term · integrates with EVS, art, language · simple materials shelf
Middle Stage · Grades 6–8 · Ages 11–14
The Real Design Cycle.
Formal human-centred design begins. The heart of the HCD Lab — where NEP 2020's contemporary-subjects mandate is fully met, and where design thinking pairs naturally with tinkering.
- Immerse: field interviews and the two-column notebook (saw/heard vs think/feel)
- Frame: "How Might We" statements and the problem framing canvas
- Imagine: structured ideation — Idea Mela, deferring judgement
- Build: cardboard prototyping and the one-rupee prototype
- Test: the testing-table protocol — no explaining allowed
- Sample projectRedesign the Everyday — teams pick a broken everyday experience (the canteen queue, the morning gate crush, the library system), run a full cycle over a term, and present tested prototypes to school leadership.
- OutcomesThe complete method · interviewing · problem framing · collaborative ideation · iterative prototyping · user testing
- FormatDedicated weekly double period · a functioning HCD Lab space · term-long projects · pairs with Atal Tinkering Lab
Secondary Stage · Grades 9–12 · Ages 14–18
Design for the World.
Portfolio-grade work. Rigorous, documented projects on real community problems, building assets for design entrances and university applications.
- Term- or year-long community projects with real stakeholders
- Advanced research: journey mapping, stakeholder mapping, systems thinking
- Documented iteration — a real design portfolio per student
- Design for constraints: cost, accessibility, sustainability, scale
- Specialisation tracks: product, service, communication, social design
- Sample projectThe Community Brief — students partner with a real local stakeholder (a panchayat, an NGO, a hospital ward) to research and design a genuine solution over the year, documented end-to-end and presented at a public showcase.
- OutcomesIndependent project leadership · rigorous research · portfolio development · systems awareness · storytelling · career clarity
- FormatDedicated lab time · mentor-guided projects · external showcase · portfolio review
What your school receives
A turnkey programme, not a set of files.
Everything a school needs to run the lab from day one.
Curriculum
Age-graded, class-wise
Curriculum across all four stages · term-by-term facilitator guides with session plans · student workbooks and project templates · rubrics aligned to NEP 2020 competency-based assessment.
Teacher training
Teachers run a cycle before teaching one
Immersive facilitator training · a two-facilitator model (labs survive on redundancy, never one champion) · ongoing support and a community of practice.
Certification
Certified by DIC, IIT Hyderabad
Student certificates from DIC, IIT Hyderabad, and facilitator certification for teachers.
Setup & showcase
Works with a converted classroom
Lab setup toolkit · materials lists by budget tier and ATL integration guidance · a place in the annual inter-school HCD showcase.
How we assess
Two numbers that honestly show design thinking is happening.
Aligned to NEP 2020's shift from marks-for-memory to competency-based evaluation.
Alongside these: reframes, portfolio growth, and competency rubrics for curiosity, empathy, collaboration and iteration.
Not assessed: the prettiness of the final prototype.
Why it matters
The NEP 2020 mandate, delivered.
It's the NEP 2020 mandate, delivered
NEP 2020 names design thinking as a contemporary subject (Section 4.23); NCF 2023 carries it into structure. The HCD Lab is how a school actually implements it, and documents it.
A return to Indian pedagogy
"Head, Heart and Hands" echoes Nai Talim and Santiniketan. This is not an American import bolted on; it is a structured return to pedagogies India practised first.
It completes your tinkering lab
Design thinking decides what to make and whether it works; the Atal Tinkering Lab provides the tools. Schools with both cover the full innovation cycle.
Built on the Prof. M P Ranjan lineage · curriculum tradition adopted by Mahatma Gandhi University · delivered with DIC Hub, IIT Hyderabad.
FAQ
Questions from school leaders.
What ages is the HCD Lab for?
Do we need to build a special lab?
How is this different from our Atal Tinkering Lab?
Does it align with NEP 2020?
Who trains our teachers?
What do students gain for their future?
Bring HCD Lab to your school