WELCOME
Design with Us is a resource for us to navigate the design process together.
Design With Us is our attempt to demystify the design process and offer support, promoting effective collaboration by creating a space for honest conversations.
Design is more than a process—it’s about human experience, shaped by the people involved, the challenges encountered, and the emotions that surface along the way. We know that tackling challenging problems–the kind we strive to solve together–can be a journey filled with both exhilaration and uncertainty. Whether you're a Catapult client, partner, or community member, you'll likely experience a spectrum of emotions as we move through the design process.
The world is in constant flux, marked by profound political, social, cultural, and economic shifts. These changes affect all of us and the work that we do. Navigating this change can be daunting, triggering a cascade of emotions. We believe this resource, in its own small way, can serve as a steadying hand, helping you understand and process the feelings that arise as you move through the design process during these turbulent times.
This resource is designed to support you whether you're at the very beginning of exploring the design process, grappling with problem definition and alignment, deep in the creative trenches of concept development and iteration, or nearing the implementation phase. You can learn about our process and see the range of emotions that may arise. Alternatively, you can identify the emotion that resonates with you most right now and explore it further.
You'll see how these emotions manifest in our four key design stages: Align, Engage, Share, and Support, with illustrative examples from our projects where we saw it play out.
Acknowledging the emotional journey within the human-centered design process transforms it from a purely functional exercise into a deeply resonant experience.
Exploring the emotional landscape often reveals underlying needs and motivations that logical analysis alone might miss, allowing for the identification of deeper root causes and layered solutions. It cultivates "care" beyond mere efficiency, ultimately driving outcomes that are not only effective but also deeply meaningful and impactful for the individuals or groups they serve.
By addressing the spectrum of emotions—from initial anxieties about change to the eventual pride of ownership—design can foster sustained behavioral shifts and genuine motivation. We believe recognizing and validating these feelings helps all of us feel heard and understood, leading to a stronger sense of ownership and investment in the final outcome.
