Comparison of Traditional Socio-Behavioral Research and Human-Centered Design Approaches

The table below comes from an article by Betsy Tolley, which contrasts human-centered design (HCD) with “traditional socio-behavioral research” (SBR). It resists over-simplification like: “HCD looks for solutions, SBR looks for theories”, while also giving a sense of the differences between formal, protocol-driven SBR and a commerce– and private sector-derived methodology, now proving its worth in public health.