#  Applying human-centered design processes to build successful teams 

 



   ![Beth Altringer](/sites/g/files/omnuum12666/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/vpl/files/altringer3.jpg?itok=84zJqqsi) 

 

**Bethanne Altringer, Senior Preceptor in Innovation and Design and Director of the Desirability Lab,** uses personalized approaches to students’ learning in courses like [*The Innovator's Practice: Finding, Building and Leading Good Ideas with Others*](https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/43557) and [*Design Survivor: Experiential Lessons in Designing for Desirability*](https://locator.tlt.harvard.edu/course/colgsas-109374/2018/spring/11899), focusing on individual-level growth that leads to team effectiveness by grading both process and product.

## The benefits

Altringer’s research shows that “an important differentiator of success and failure is interpersonal relationships on teams.” Her targeted approach to building relational effectiveness creates longer-lasting impact than giving feedback to teams or the whole class. By grading both process and product, she teaches students “to recognize and consistently work on their own skill gaps over time,” so that they learn “adaptability, in a domain-specific way.”

## The challenges 

Students don’t always see how important relationships are to product success: “our students aren’t going to sign up for a class on interpersonal relationships, so this is a product design class but at least half of it is about the relationship building.” In addition, having individualized feedback conversations can be time-consuming, and emotionally taxing if students become defensive: “I tell them, the stakes are very low for this conversation; try to work on this before the stakes are really high, like in your start-up or new job.”



 

##  Takeaways and best practices 

 



 ### Cultivate student choice but within a structure. 

Altringer creates project teams based on students’ survey responses, aiming to “minimize reliance on friend groups or popularity, and maximize for diverse skills and mutual core interests.” Additionally, students identify specific skill gaps they want to address, choosing relevant readings from a curated list: “this recognizes that we’re all sort of broken in different ways—we all have something to work on.” Throughout the course, students submit reflections on their discoveries.



 

 ### Identify and optimize factors of success. 

Altringer optimizes three out of the many variables shaping the success of a design product: time, resources, and motivation. She views the course “as a motivational system where I’m trying to keep engagement as high as possible for all students and help them move efficiently through conflict.”



 

 ### Build feedback on data, not hunches. 

Altringer synthesizes multiple sources to shape her individualized guidance, including a student’s written reflections and behavior in class, as well as peer feedback from team members. By contrast, in the past Altringer found class or team-level feedback “was very hunch-based and wasn’t going to help those who needed it most.” Even if both she and the students might prefer to avoid these sometimes difficult conversations, “if it’s data-driven, we can both get through it.”



 

  

 

 

 

### Bottom line

“These classes aren’t only focused on top design students; they’re an attempt at personalized education that enables all students to learn, connecting with each of them at different starting levels, and grading them based on the degree to which they’ve managed to improve.”



 

##  Related Research 

 



  [### Use of a Social Annotation Platform for Pre-Class Reading Assignments in a Flipped Introductory Physics Class

 ](https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1mdq5o5/TN_cdi_doaj_primary_oai_doaj_org_article_2a22610bbac2444c8d335e9804bd22cd) In this paper, we illustrate the successful implementation of pre-class reading assignments through a social learning platform that allows students to discuss the reading online with their classmates. We show how the platform can be used to understand how... 

 

 

   [### Seven principles for good practice in midterm student feedback

 ](https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1mdq5o5/TN_cdi_proquest_journals_2462368977) Midterm student feedback is a common process in post-secondary institutions that can lead to enhanced teaching practices and thereby potentially to higher ratings of instructional skills in summative course evaluations. 

 

 

  

 

 [ More Research arrow\_circle\_right ](/intopracticeresearch) 

 

 

 

##  Related Resource 

 



  [### 5 reasons Poll Everywhere’s PowerPoint, Keynote, and Google Slides apps are such a big deal

 ](https://blog.polleverywhere.com/native-integration/) Poll Everywhere has native integration with PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote, so teaching staff may solicit feedback right within a slide deck, eliminating the need to open a separate browser window or platform. 

 

 

   [### Getting Feedback (Bok Center)

 ](https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/getting-feedback) The Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning encourages all instructors to solicit and respond to student feedback. 

 

 

  

 

 [ More Resources arrow\_circle\_right ](/intopracticeresources) 

 

 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ SEAS ](/featured-faculty/seas)
- [ Into Practice Issues ](/practice-categories/practice-issues)
- [ assessment ](/topics/assessment)
- [ feedback ](/topics/feedback)