Human-Centered Design Consultant - Population Services International

Human-Centered Design Consultant

Department: Research, M&E, LaosLocation: Laos (Vientiane Capital)Reports to: Research, M&E Director

Contract: 25 days of working

Expect to start: March 2025

Working period: March 2025-Oct 2025

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Who we are

PSI is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., leveraging the vitality of the private sector to tackle health challenges faced by low-income and vulnerable populations across more than 60 developing countries. Through programs focused on malaria, reproductive health, child survival, HIV, and sanitation, PSI promotes products, services, and healthy behaviors that empower low-income and vulnerable individuals to lead healthier lives.

Join us!

We are looking for a Human-Centered Design (HCD) Consultant to help plan and facilitate the design thinking process and drive forward the prototyping phase of HCD in Laos. PSI/Laos will apply a HCD approach to support national immunization program to understand their unique barriers such as communication impact to accessing immunization information and services and to co-design appropriate solutions. HCD is a process for arriving at transformative solutions. Through the inception phase of this program, HCD will be used to identify and develop innovative demand creation interventions to increase uptake of vaccination and promote childcare behaviors.

The HCD Consultant will be responsible for driving the HCD process The HCD Consultant will be a lead for synthesizing research outputs, insights generation, supporting planning and co-facilitating a design sprint workshop with program staff and target users, and the early-stage prototyping. The Consultant will be expected to ensure that the HCD process, results in evidence-based demand creation interventions/outputs which could lead to an increased awareness of, access to and update of vaccination.

Your contribution

You will be responsible for guiding the application of a human-centered design process, including workshop development and preparing prototypes for the testing stage. You will work with the Asia regional research, monitoring and evaluation advisor and PSI Laos project team to push forward the prototyping process and ready for piloting stage.

Anticipated timeline and responsibilities ~(25 days)

Drawing from the human-centered design discipline, design and lead a process to generate solutions that address critical gaps in vaccine uptake and hesitancy among target population segments.

Key responsibilities

(i) Synthesis insight gathering workshop and co-design solutions (March - May 2025)

• Perform research analysis to gather key insights, ideate possible solutions to existing problems, develop new prototypes (including modifying current products) to overcome obstacles, and produce a report that includes a guide for testing sessions.  
• The PSI project lead and regional research adviser should be consulted in order to develop and improve insights based on formative research, empathy research, and best practices in social and behavior change for health.  
• In order to create initial prototypes, interdisciplinary groups comprising project representatives, stakeholders, and technical advisor should be guided by discussing "how might we" during brainstorming sessions. 
• The HCD Consultant would be expected to co-facilitate this workshop in Laos, as well as guide the initial prototyping. 

(ii) Prototyping (Jun - July 2025)

• Support in reviewing the plan for rapid prototype testing and iterations in the field to develop and polish one or two concepts for the project's pilot. 
• During field testing, guide and support target groups and key stakeholders in the ideation and rough prototype sessions.  
• Develop an outline for testing the prototypes, iteratively improve them, and finally complete them as high-fidelity solutions. This includes introducing the prototype to the target groups so we can gather their initial thoughts and input. We will rapidly iterate in response to comments until we have an acceptable prototype. 

(iii) Piloting (July - October 2025)

• Develop a complete program package that includes a fixed site, a client accountability feedback system, and a pilot that works as an overall system.  
• Support for reviewing the HMIS's expanded program on immunization (EPI) dashboards and strategic recommendations for enhancing the ability of local immunization personnel to analyze vaccine data using a data-to-action approach. 
• Maintain support during the project's pilot phase so that PSI-Laos can make any necessary adjustments to the programs.  Support in reviewing and guiding the entire program package before sharing it with donors and other key stakeholders. 

Note: The total number of working for HCD Consultant is 25 days, however the numbers of days in the above workplan might be changed depending on how much is needed for each activity and any adaptation of the plan will be discussed/designed among the HCD Consultant and the Research, M&E Director regularly.

What are we looking for?

The basics  

• You have a bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree preferred) in design, public health, international development, social sciences or relevant field  

• You have at least three years of experience in human-centered design  

• You have passion and experience in building local skills and team development  

• You have worked using an HCD approach in the developing world 

• You have experience working in public health, particularly in the vaccination area, NGOs and/or the social sector  

•  You have led teams of other designers and (ideally) non-designers in a human centered design process 

• References will be required. 

What would get us excited? 

• Capacity Builder: You have experience in building institution, local technical, management and leadership capacity. 

• Collaborative manager: You might encourage the country staff to have a common goal. You have effectively facilitated the learning, development, and success of your teams. 

• A systems thinker: You are able to develop system-wide solutions by linking several ideas into a larger and coherent solution. You are able to comprehend the opportunities in the Laos context by adopting a broad view.  

• A strategist and an innovator: You are creative, innovative and a strategic thinker. You have a track record of success and a keen interest in creative approaches to success. 

STATUS 

Consultant: PSI is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals regardless of actual or perceived race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, personal appearance, matriculation, political affiliation, family status or responsibilities, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions or breastfeeding, genetic information, amnesty, veteran, special disabled veteran or uniform service member status or employment status.