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Human-cen­tric – One word, many meanings

Digg has previously described digitalisation as part of a complex phenomenon, where “human at the centre" is one of five areas contributing to the complexity of digital transformation.
 This is partly due to how the “human system”, with dynamic collectives and thinking individuals with diverse needs and experiences, operates at various levels in societal systems and within different organisations.
Goals for digitalisation should, therefore, take into account that humans are at the centre, that digital technology is a tool for fulfilling different needs and solving challenges, and that it inevitably raises new questions about how and why we need to change, for example, operations and legislation.
A framework for a human-centric approach has been developed within the Nordic DigiGov Lab project.
Digi Gov Lab | Nordic cooperation (accessed 2025-05-15).
 The framework is based on the European Union’s European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade,
 the dimensions of “digital first” and “user-driven” according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Digital Government Index,
 and examples from research.
The first part of the framework addresses the foundation for a human-centric approach within the public sector. This approach is based on international and national human and civil rights, where people's needs and inherent value are at the centre. In practice, it can manifest by, for example, prioritising common life events in an individual’s life. These life events occur in different contexts and at different times, which means that people’s needs vary depending on life event.
Important starting points when thinking in terms of life events are to reason more broadly than from the perspective of a single actor or service and to be aware of how laws and regulations can vary in ways that unnecessarily increase the burden on individuals or businesses. It is also wise to consider how laws and regulations may be distributed across a variety of private and public actors. The ambition of a human-centric approach to service accessibility is that services can be offered collectively and more precisely address the individual situation and the person’s actual needs, with the goal of providing the best conditions to manage rights and responsibilities in the prevailing situation.
The second part of the framework addresses how the promotion of a human-centric public administration often requires horizontal governance from the central level. One aspect of this is the creation of a common infrastructure with public data at its core, where the administration as a whole can offer digital services that seamlessly extend across actors and sectors. This infrastructure enables a coherent and shared experience of public services for businesses and people. The Swedish administrative model requires increased coordination from the highest level in order to achieve the uniformity and efficiency needed to place humans at the centre.
The third part of the framework deals with how human-centric governance can be characterised. Researchers Christian Bason and Robert D. Austin have summarised and identified what characterises human-centric governance in public administration.
Bason, Christian, Austin D., Robert, Design in the public sector: Toward a human centred model of public governance, 2022, Public Management Review, 24:11, 1727-1757.
 Their conclusions are based on experiences and interviews with actors within public administration in Denmark, Finland, and the USA. According to the authors, human-centric governance can be characterised by the following aspects.
  • Reflective User-centred, qualitative methods and empathy are considered important drivers for an organisation's ability to understand and create change.
  • Interactive Understanding the need to create meaningful and purposeful interactions between citizens and public organisations can be achieved through various types of digital or practical tools.
  • Networking Recognising the need to consciously think about and embrace how society is made up of a diversity of actors in order to create societal value.
  • Relational Working with the understanding that public administration has broad and long-term commitments, requiring careful consideration of the values the organisation contributes to society.
    Bason, Christian, Austin D., Robert, Design in the public sector: Toward a human centred model of public governance, 2022, Public Management Review, 24:11, 1727–1757.
A human-centric approach within the public sector is based on international and national human and civil rights.
The concept of human-centric also plays a central role in the field of digitalisation. There are several examples from international intergovernmental organisations such as the EU and OECD. The concept is applied to everything from the design of public services and AI-based solutions to the issue of how rights and obligations are managed in a digital society.
The meaning of the term human-centric has evolved over time, and some aspects of the framework are not new. The following quote from computer pioneer and researcher Michael Dertouzos in an interview with Computer Sweden from 2001 is telling of how human-centric is used in relation to digital technology:
Human-centered computing is about making computers meet our needs. It's about making machines easier to use and ensuring they become part of our natural environment, just like breathing.
Michael Dertouzos (1936-2001), Professor in the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Director of the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science (LCS) from 1974 to 2001, in an interview by Computer Sweden published on March 2 2001 in connection with the publication of his book The Unfinished Revolution.
If we then add the word “design” to human-centred, it turns out that the term can be traced back to the late 1950s. It is believed to have emerged at the intersection of various disciplines such as art, anthropology, and engineering at Stanford University.
Human-centered design - Wikipedia (accessed 2025-05-15).
 Even then, it was recognised that one way to solve problems and develop products and processes, was to “start with the human”. That is, the premise for problem-solving is to understand needs and human experiences by involving the intended target audience in the creation of a product, service, or work method.
The concept of human-centredness plays a central role in the field of digitalization.

Human-centric AI

Returning to the present day at Stanford University, a collaborative project is underway between researchers and public actors on human-centric AI.
Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, Home | Stanford HAI (accessed 2025-02-18).
 The initiative’s acronym HAI summarises their view on human-centredness. They are primarily interested in issues that arise in society as AI spreads across various areas that affect people (Human Impact). Secondly, they argue that AI technologies should enhance human capabilities – rather than replace them (Augmented Human Capabilities). Thirdly, they believe that AI should be developed to improve or understand various human domains such as human behaviour, emotions, language, and more (Intelligence).
Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, Home | Stanford HAI (accessed 2025-02-18) and About | Stanford HAI (accessed 2025-05-15).
Another current example is how human-centredness is applied in the EU's ethical guidelines for trustworthy AI. Here, the focus is on how AI systems should promote and be based on, among other things, fundamental human rights. The starting point is the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade.
According to the EU, AI solutions should be human-centric, meaning they must promote freedom and welfare for people, and therefore be based on a “commitment to use them in the service of humanity and for the common good”.
According to the EU, a human-centric approach means that when using AI for surveillance or when disseminating, developing, and using AI, “human values are central.” These values include: Respect for fundamental rights, where humans have a “unique and inalienable moral status”; and Consideration for the environment and other beings that are part of the “human ecosystem”, in order to promote sustainability for future generations.
AI technologies should enhance human capabilities – rather than replace them.

A human-centric digitalisation policy?

Digital inclusion, together with social factors such as education, location, gender, and income strongly affect people’s ability and willingness to engage with public digital services. As society becomes increasingly digitalised, this has consequences for trust, democracy, and people’s well-being, which we must understand and develop in a variety of ways.
There are fundamental questions to consider regarding access, distribution, and allocation of the data generated by individuals' actions and behaviours in the digital world. Questions can be raised concerning everything from who gets access to an individual’s own data, to the access of relatives to the same data (in the event of death, for example), and what interests society and commercial forces might have in this same data.
Examples of human-centredness can be found in many places around the world, not least in the Nordic and Baltic regions. The digitalisation agencies in Sweden, Norway, and Finland have explored how human-centric governance works in practice within the framework of the Nordic DigiGov Lab project. Below are several examples of human-centric approaches identified within the project, based on, among other things, interviews with representatives from various countries.

Examples of strategies

Denmark’s national digitalisation strategy
 includes, as one of nine visions, the creation of coherent public services for people and businesses. These services should be user-friendly, consistent, and cohesive, regardless of where citizens interact with the public administration.
A concrete example is the web portal borger.dk, which deals with a variety of life events. The individual answers questions about their situation and then receives suggestions on how they should proceed step by step to fulfil their obligations and claim their rights.
Estonia has two strategies where human-centric governance is a key component: the national AI strategy
 and Estonia’s Digital Agenda 2030
Digiühiskonna arengukava_ENG.pdf Estonia’s Digital Agenda 2030 (accessed 2025-05-12).
. The AI strategy clearly outlines how AI-based systems should be grounded in human-centric principles.
The Digital Agenda specifies how human-centric digital government is one of four major “leaps” it aims to promote (in addition to AI-powered government, green digital government, and a switch to life and business event based and proactive services).
Norway released their latest digital strategy, “The Digital Norway of the Future”
, in the autumn of 2024, where they continue their focus on creating coherent services for seven different life events.

Examples of public service portals

Lithuania has an “e-Government gateway” where services and queries are grouped from a life event perspective.
https://www.epaslaugos.lt/portal/  (accessed 2025-05-15).
 The portal is described by the European Commission as a “State Information Resource Interoperability Platform” (SIRIP), where public actors can create and offer user-friendly digital services for residents, businesses, and employees within public administration.
Iceland offers public services through its digital portal island.is.
Ísland.is (accessed 2025-05-15).
 Services are grouped both by life events such as retirement, moving home, or having children, and by “service areas” such as consumer protection, education, or for business owners.

Examples of organisa­tional collaboration and the law

Norway has a cross-departmental working group with representatives from all ministries to horizontally coordinate the country's efforts for coherent services.
Estonia uses the term “Estonian legal space” to identify and bring together laws and regulations that support digitalisation. One activity here is the development of human-centric digital administration using legal frameworks to promote reliable digital services.
Estonia has made it possible for citizens to track how public administration uses their data through what is known as its “data tracker”.
Data tracker | RIA (accessed 2025-02-05).
Lithuania has an “e-Government gateway” where services and queries are grouped from a life event perspective.

Examples of funding

Finland has developed and implemented a programme to promote life event-based digitalisation.
 The programme is run by the Finnish Ministry of Finance and has dedicated funding to support the preparation of life event-based digitalisation for individuals and businesses.
Nordic Council of Ministers I www.norden.org/publications I pub@norden.org