One-on-one with Helen von den Steinen

After eight years of teaching graduate students at the Segal Design Institute and a decorated 32-year career with Procter & Gamble, Helen von den Steinen is now introducing first-year students to human-centered design.

Empathy is critical in the Design Thinking Communication (DTC) course Helen von den Steinen leads at Northwestern University’s Segal Design Institute – as much for von den Steinen as the undergraduates encountering human-centered design for the first time. 

Over von den Steinen’s 32-year career at Procter & Gamble (P&G), the corporate force behind household brands like Pampers, Tide, and Old Spice, human-centered design and its core principles, including empathy, became rather second nature – seamlessly baked into von den Steinen’s research and development work in the hair care and baby care sectors. When von den Steinen then joined Segal’s faculty ranks in 2016, she worked solely with graduate students enrolled in the MS Engineering Design Innovation (EDI) program, a group with more extensive human-centered design practice. 

Last spring, however, von den Steinen delved into undergraduate instruction. She co-taught DTC 2, the second leg of the human-centered design sequence required of all first-year Northwestern Engineering students, before turning her attention to DTC 1 – and campus newcomers – this fall. Working with undergraduates who have limited, if any, knowledge of human-centered design presented von den Steinen a compelling challenge: to distill the foundational elements of human-centered design into digestible nuggets. 

Von den Steinen, who left P&G in June 2023 to focus on teaching and her work as an innovation coach and consultant, discussed her experience teaching first-year undergraduates as well as her own passion for human-centered design. 

How has this experience teaching first-year students in DTC compared to your previous eight years working with graduate students? 

I’ve so enjoyed taking an active role in the EDI program, but it’s been an exciting new challenge to work with undergraduates. I had my concerns about the varying levels of motivation I might see in the DTC courses since they are classes required of all new engineering students, but the students have been willing learners. I think it helps I’m in touch with this developmental stage. When I taught DTC 2 last spring, my youngest son was a freshman in college himself, so I had a framework to understand what these young students were facing as first-year students navigating college life.  

How are you applying your significant expertise in the field to undergraduates unfamiliar with human-centered design? 

As I have been teaching human-centered design for so long, I can talk about it for hours and sometimes go into too much detail, but I’ve really tried to put myself in the students’ shoes. Many have never heard of human-centered design, so my focus has been on breaking things down to the 101 level. It’s meant taking a step back and carefully thinking about how I can guide students through the design process, including explaining why they’re doing certain things, and bringing real-life, relatable examples into the classroom students can connect with, whether that’s brushing their teeth or showering. 

What are the key lessons you’re trying to impart to students? 

Above all, it’s that human-centered design is a process that requires understanding the problem before jumping into solutions. You need to spend time with users – observe, ask questions, be open to feedback, and, of course, apply empathy – because working to truly understand others’ perspectives and feelings will drive a more successful design.  

What’s been most energizing about working with first-year students? 

I’ve really enjoyed seeing concepts “click” with students, like when they understand why we’re listing out requirements before solutions. It’s a sign they’re seeing the bigger picture. I’ve also enjoyed the opportunity to create personal connections with students. In the DTC course, we have 16 students and two professors, so there’s opportunity for interaction and relationship building with students, which I consider a real privilege. 

What do you most enjoy about human-centered design? 

The research and interaction with others have always inspired me, especially getting a valuable insight you can bring to a solution. I also love the challenge of solving a juicy tension and the potential impact a well-crafted design can have. In my final role at P&G, for instance, I worked on an internal startup, the EC30 brand, which was a range of home and personal care cleaning products based on patented P&G technology – a dissolvable, waterless swatch. It’s a more sustainable approach, which is a particular passion area for me. Now, Tide has a product based on the same technology. When a technology like that goes to the big brands, the potential to reduce carbon emissions and have a much broader environmental impact soars, which is incredibly exciting.  

What makes an effective human-centered designer? 

I’d put listening, curiosity, and open-mindedness at the top of the list. Human-centered design all starts with empathy and understanding the problem, which means you must listen with an open mind and be curious enough to ask follow-up questions. Beyond that, designers need to be able to cope with ambiguity because the design process is not linear. It’s often a winding road with no right answer, even if some answers might be better than others.