Beyond Human-Centred Design: Toward a Community-Centric Framework: Lessons from Ugandan Creative Practice

Abstract

Human-Centred Design (HCD) has become a dominant approach in social design, praised for shifting focus from top-down planning to user empathy. However, this study argues that HCD often falls short in facilitating genuine social transformation due to power imbalances, short-term funding cycles, and a focus on individual "users" rather than collective relationships. Drawing on four community-based creative initiatives in Uganda—KARTwe (Katwe), We Are Walukuba (Jinja), Eco Art Uganda, and the sculptural practice of Leilah Babirye—this paper proposes a shift toward a Community-Centric Design (CCD) framework. Synthesizing insights from Adorno’s critique of instrumental rationality, Foucault’s power/knowledge dynamics, decolonial theory, and the African philosophy of Ubuntu, the study identifies four interconnected pillars of CCD: sustained engagement, collective ownership, material resourcefulness, and Ubuntu as a relational ethic. The findings suggest that meaningful social design requires ceding decision-making authority to communities, fostering long-term relational commitments, and prioritizing collective well-being over immediate, measurable outputs.