Human Drives card set

Our friends at human-centered design consultancy Namahn in Brussels have created a lovely “human drive” card set to be used as a source of inspiration for ideation and co-design sessions.

The 48 cards, that have the exact size and feel of playing cards, are organised in four categories: Who Am I?, How Do I Interact With Others?, Why Am I Doing What I Do?, and What Makes Me Happy?.

An accompanying leaflet places the 48 drives in a flower-like diagram and explains that the cards were conceived – by Kristel Van Ael, we were told – as a design tool to stimulate us to think about our users and empathise with them. Here is how the Namahn team words their vision for the cards:

“People do not buy or use products and services just for the sake of it. They do it in order to reach underlying goals and fulfil deeper needs, which are what we call the human drives. While the products and services can change, these human drives are timeless and universal.

Remembering this leads to a more human-centered view of design. The focus is no longer purely on creating products or services, but more on designing ‘solutions’ that correspond to these drives.”

Namahn partners Joannes Vandermeulen and Joep Paemen gave me a set on Friday, and since the cards are not mentioned on their site, I assume they are conceived as a smart relationship management tool, so not for sale. Do contact them if you are interested.

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