The Single Technology Imperative: Put Humans First

Phase2’s social impact program Tech Unites Us, is a way for us to fulfill our strong belief that technology can solve problems and be a positive force for humanity. We fervently seek to create opportunities for all individuals to improve themselves. This desire is woven into the fabric of who we are and starts at the very top with our company vision: 

“Digital experience that advances the human experience"

This guiding principle drives us to put humans first in our work, both with our clients and our employees. We know that technology is capable of:

• Creating opportunities
• Solving difficult problems
• Improving quality of life

Maslow as a Metaphor

Most everyone has heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and although its scientific relevance has been critiqued, I can’t help but think of the strata in the triangle as a metaphor for how we might think about how technology can enrich our various needs.

LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp, Facetime, Facebook, Google Maps, AirBnb, Life360, TravelSmart, bSafe, and so many others are designed to help improve our self-esteem, love and belonging, and safety needs. But what about physiological needs? What kind of technology can improve that need? At the most basic level, the Internet, WiFi, data, devices, and electrical power can significantly improve our physiological needs. 

While technology has become integrated into everything we do, there is a strong potential to take its ubiquity for granted. 

Not everyone shares the same set of circumstances. Not everyone can take advantage of the promise that technology can fulfill. Not everyone shares the same access to the many forms of technology and the ways it can improve our lives. 

In this sense, technology can only unite us if everyone can access it. 

2020 put a massive spotlight on our socio-economic and cultural divisions. If you watch the nightly news, read the latest research paper, or just look and listen to the world around you, there is a palpable divide that will continue to expand if we persist in using technology as an enabler without considering that not everyone understands it, has access to it, or can effectively use it to improve their lives.

Social Determinants of Health

Phase2 works with major healthcare clients from leading integrated delivery networks, to prestigious academic medical centers, to the most impactful accountable care organizations. Every one of these organizations have missions to improve the lives in their respective  communities. They are all looking at social determinants of health and ways to reach the underserved.

 Social determinants of health is a “place-based” framework that includes aspects of where a person lives, works, learns, plays, and how they access health services. These place-based conditions have a major impact on people’s health and well-being.

Healthcare organizations are looking to build products to extend their services into the digital space and are using social determinants of health to help inform their strategy. Whether it’s telehealth, digital front doors, chatbots, remote patient monitoring, or utilizing patient generated data, technology is enabling this digital transformation. 

I look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and see a strong connection with social determinants of health. The categories of both look at an individual and their circumstances. Technology isn’t included in either framework as a need or place-based condition, but it absolutely can be an enabler if organizations are intentionally looking for ways to harness the power of technology and apply it to a person’s unique circumstance, whether using Maslow or social determinants of health as a lens.

Asking Questions Creates Context

I am very fortunate to work with an amazing team of content, data, digital, product, technology, and UX strategists. Our highly skilled consultants work with organizations to bring our human-centric approach to every project, thoughtfully considering the person and their circumstances, and asking a lot of questions around the person. Some examples: 

Do they have a place to live? Do they have a job? Do they exhibit digital literacy? Do they have a computer? Do they have access to the Internet? Do they have a smartphone or regular phone? What type of OS is it running? Do they have a data plan? What level of trust do they have with technology? Do they have a disability? 

These types of questions get us thinking about basic human needs through a technology lens and how individuals might access services digitally.

One of the main access points for many services is through a phone. Before jumping in and building an iOS app for a healthcare, commercial, or public sector client, we may instead recommend building an Android app first. According to several studies, people who experience homelessness are much more likely to use an Android phone than an iOS phone (Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness study and Journal of Medical Internet Research study). While there may be specific reasons and circumstances for this, the takeaway from this one example is that we should not assume that everyone has an iPhone, can easily access the Internet, and knows how to use technology. 

Humanity First

If organizations want to help close the digital divide, they should first think about the totality of the human experience, using frameworks like Maslow or social determinants of health to ensure there is a strong focus on the person.

At Phase2, the Tech Unites Us (TUU) program is a catalyst for how to intentionally think about humans and their unique, individual circumstances. TUU helps our partners, clients, industry colleagues, and surrounding communities consider the human before the technical solution can be brought to bear. People’s aspirations, circumstances, struggles, and potential hindrances to life-improving technologies always determine the recommendations and products that we make. We put humans first, then find ways to improve their lives with technology.

Thank you for reading! Do you have your own observations or ideas about this topic? Please reach out via LinkedIn. Subscribe below for regular news and insights.