Design Like a Human, Not Like a Machine
It’s fairly easy to design like a machine. Fast. Efficient. Trend-driven. Slightly emotionally unavailable.
And to be totally fair; machines have great stamina. They also don’t have to calm a nervous system before writing a pricing plan, or try to book an appointment while overstimulated, tired, and already a little ashamed that they “haven’t sorted it out yet.”
Humans do.
Human-centred design is essentially the practice of building with real people in mind. It considers their context, needs, limitations, and dignity. ISO 9241-210 describes human-centred design as an approach that aims to make systems usable and useful by focusing on users and applying human factors and usability knowledge. As a result it improves wellbeing, satisfaction, accessibility, and sustainability.
And that’s what I want to discuss today: designing like a human, not a machine. Not just as a concept, but as a set of habits you can actually do on even a random Tuesday.
“Human-Centred Design”
Human-centred design means you stop treating people as “users” in the abstract and start designing for the person who will actually interact with your brand.
ISO 9241-210 is often summarised into a handful of core principles:
Designs based on explicit understanding of users
Involves users throughout
Evaluates with users
Iterates
Addresses the whole experience (not just one touchpoint)
In practice, it means your brand is not just pretty. It’s navigable, understandable, and considerate. In the health and wellness space especially, “considerate” is not design fluff. It’s an imperative feature.
The Trap of “Machine Design”
Machine design often looks like this:
Start with trends
Choose aesthetics
Write copy that sounds like everyone else
Add a vague CTA
Assume confusion is the audience’s fault
It can look slick and still feel off because people can sense when the brand is optimised for performance metrics, not human experience.
This is where authenticity gets misunderstood. Authenticity doesn’t mean you need to be more personal. It’s a form of congruence. Your design, messaging, process, and the real experience of working with you all match up when you’re being authentic.
The 5 Human-Centred Practices
Here are the core practices I come back to again and again (and again…) They are also ones I wish more brands treated as non-negotiables when it came to creative design practice.
1. Start with an explicit understanding of the person.
Human-centred design starts with real user data, not imaginary audiences. Nielsen Norman Group describes design thinking as a user-centred process that starts with user (or audience) data and tests artifacts (touchpoints) with real users.
Simple Application: Write a user-need statement before you design anything. This can be a statement that summarises who the user is, what they need, and why it matters.
When I look at my client’s target audience, I often look at their psychographics (challenges, interests, values, purchase drivers) not only their demographics and establish my client’s brand’s point of different.
Example:
A new client with chronic pain needs to understand what the first appointment is like and how to book, because uncertainty increases anxiety and delays care.
If that’s the need, then your homepage should not be a moody quote over a blurred leaf. It should be a clear path to the booking experience.
2. Design for the whole experience, not the highlight reel.
A logo is not an experience. Nor is a colour palette. A homepage is also not the whole story.
The experience include enquiry to booking to intake to reminders to arrival to the actual session to follow-up to invoicing to cancellations to rebooking to referrals.
Human-centred design asks: where does someone get lost? Where do they feel shame? Where do they have to guess?
My own personal rule: if someone has to guess, typically they’ll leave. It’s not because they don’t care, but mostly just because they’re tired.
3. Use iteration like a kindness practice
Iterative design is steady refinement based on evaluation and testing. Fix, test again, repeat.
In branding, iteration can be tiny:
Rewrite a confusing service name
Change “Get Started” to “Book a Discovery Call”
Add a “What happens next?” block
Simplify a form
Adjust contrast and font sizes
Reorder sections so the answers come before the sales pitch
Machine design tries to launch perfectly. Human design improves honestly over time.
4. Design for accessibility as a baseline, not a bonus
If you design for the “ideal user,” you design for almost no one.
WCAG 2.2 lays out four principles of accessibility. Content should be:
Perceivable: readable contrast, legible type, alt text, no important information trapped in images
Operable: clear navigation, links that are easy to tap, no “tiny text as a personality”
Understandable: plain language, predictable layouts, instructions that don’t assume insider knowledge
Robust: works across devices and assistive technology (your “pretty” shouldn’t break someone’s ability to use it)
This is where authenticity shows up in action: you mean “everyone’s welcome,” and your design backs it up.
5. Use proof, clarity, and contact as trust infrastructure.
Cues like clarity, transparency, and ease of contacting a real organisation as trust builders for credibility.
In practical terms, for a practitioner or clinic, that means:
Clear pricing or at least clear ranges
What happens in the first session
How booking works (step-by-step)
Response times
Who the service is for
What to do if someone is nervous, unsure, or has access needs
Designing like a human means you don’t make people beg for basic information.
Mindful Design Habits
This is often the part people will skip because it sounds “soft,” but it’s honesty the part that can entirely change the work you’re doing for the better.
The “Body Check”
Before you design, ask: how do I feel right now? Rushed? Wired? Perfectionistic? If yes to any of these questions, your work will inherit that energy.
My personal rule: never make major brand decisions while in a panic spiral. You will end up picking the loudest option, not the truest one.
The “One Real Person”
Pick one real client type and design for them today. Not their demographics. But their psychographics. A real person, with real needs.
Example: “a new client who’s autistic, overwhelmed, and hates phone calls.”
Now build the booking flow like you actually care about that one person’s nervous system.
The “Read It Aloud”
If you can’t read your service page out loud without cringing, it’s probably too corporate, too vague, or too performative.
Authentic copy sounds like a human offering help, not some brochure trying to win an argument.
The “Reduce Cognitive Load”
Before launching anything, do a sweep for effort:
How many clicks to book?
How many decisions are required?
How many places do they have to hunt for information?
How many times do you say the same thing in different words without actually answering the question?
Your audience isn’t lazy. But they are conserving energy.
The “Iteration Appointment”
Put a 30-minute recurring block in your calendar to review and refine based on what people actually ask you.
If you keep receiving the same DM question (“How do I book?” “What do you charge?” “Do you work with NDIS?” etc.), that’s not a DM problem. That’s a design prompt.
Human-Centred Brands (Quick Examples)
Example 1: A trauma-informed psychologist
Machine Design: “Transform your life” + vague “Enquire Now.”
Human Design: “What happens in the first session” + “You can book online or email” + gentle language, clear steps.
Example 2: A remedial massage therapist
Machine Design: discount-first posts and “limited spots!!!” energy.
Human Design: education on what you treat, clear session options, intake expectations, what to wear/bring, and a calm rebooking path.
Example 3: A dietitian
Machine Design: food rules disguised as wellness.
Human Design: values-based approach, who it’s for, what the first consult is like, and proof that feels ethical (process and outcomes without shame).
Human-centred design is a practical approach that focuses on real people and their needs to make experiences usable, useful, and supportive of wellbeing. The strongest human-centred practices include starting with a clear understanding of audiences, involving and evaluating with audiences (and users), iterating over time, designing for the whole experience, and building accessibility into the baseline.
Designing like a human is slower in the beginning, but faster in the long run. This is because you spend less time fixing confusion, rewriting apologies, or trying to market your way out of an experience problem.
It’s also how you build a brand that feels authentic without trying to “sound authentic.” You just… be a person. You make it clear, accessible, and respectful.
If you want help applying human-centred design to your brand, especially if you’re in health and wellness and your clients need clarity and care implemented into every touchpoint. Book a discovery call with me.
You can also explore my services to find out all the various ways I might be able to help with your design needs, or check out my store to find out more about The Brand Audit or The Social Media Manager.
