Empathy in design thinking

In the previous article you can read about design thinking in general, and in this article I would like to talk a little about empathy. Empathy, or in other words, understanding other people, is necessary for good design.

The basis of empathy is observation. Moreover, observation is not only of the design object and people interacting with it, but also of the context of such interaction!

Observation must go beyond the product, service or process being developed. Since the user experience begins much earlier. Any program, site, company, process in an organization solves problems that arose at earlier stages. So the online store solves the problem of buying goods, the need for which has arisen outside the Internet. And for a complete understanding of the situation, it is necessary to observe not only the buying process, but also how the need arises for it and what happens after.

Proper understanding of the context, processes and people interacting with the object of design is the main cornerstone task, which provides 90% of the correct design, correct thoughts, focus, questions and answers to them. Most successful products and services are not built on a great idea, but on the “right” problem!
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For example, a patient in a hospital looks at the ceiling most of all, but for some reason they paint the walls. Since the opinion of investors and relatives, is built on the appearance of the walls, not the ceiling! In this case, we have an example of a poor understanding of the patient’s needs regarding the interior of the chambers. The focus is not on the end user, but on people who value the hospital and give it money, and this is clearly reflected in the design.

Understanding the very design of thinking

To perceive design thinking as an ideal and final algorithm or process is a mistake. The division into steps is very conditional and is given for the initial understanding, the formation of a more productive way of thinking. Stages that are listed in the previous article can be iteratively repeated and intermixed. If this is forbidden, then it will be hard to get real innovation, since creativity cannot be driven into a fixed frame, otherwise it will simply cease to be so and become a mediocre craft.

Design thinking is very useful to combine with the gaming atmosphere of design development. For example, to develop positioning and marketing strategy, you can ask buyers to make a box for a product that, in their opinion, will contribute to sales. Such an exercise will help reveal what is valued by consumers in a product: these qualities will be on their boxes.

Design thinking is not psychology, it is not the work of a genius - it is the result of the work of a group of people! Even if you work independently, at the time of observation, the group includes those for whom you are watching. After observation, it is necessary to clarify the causes of certain actions that you noticed. In no case should not be asked to describe the ideal product or service, listen not words, but actions! Guiding questions are needed in order to see the context that is hidden from your eyes and is outside the area of ​​observation.

Design thinking is not magic and not an answer "how", it is an answer - "what". It allows design to gain direction, a more focused goal.

Record your observations

In the course of monitoring the actions of people, it is necessary to find and record the answers to the following questions:

• What are the needs and desires at the time of action? What is the goal at this very moment?
• What constitutes an action context? Time, place, tools, resources, opportunities?
• Try to lose the situation with the changed parameters. How will the result change if you shorten or increase the time? Should change location and tools? What conditions will make the situation perfect: the goal is fulfilled, desires and needs are satisfied and no resources and tools are needed?
• Are there any hidden opportunities and options at the time of the action?

The ability to see the context of the design object can be very effectively used. For example, one entrepreneur made a catalog of his goods of a smaller format than all other catalogs. Due to this, all sellers of newspapers and magazines placed this catalog on top of a pile of the rest of the periodical press (on the principle of a pyramid). This, in turn, increased the sales of the entrepreneur, since his catalog was always in sight of the buyers in each stall and on each tray.

Designer is a witness

A designer is a witness to what happens when using a design object. He should notice the “obvious little things” that usually no one thinks about and who are not aware of. Therefore, during the scenario testing of prototypes, awareness, observation, and not “thinking out”, empathy, not psychology, are necessary!

You can not ask people directly what they want. You need to monitor the actions and ask about the reasons for the actions. And during the survey, listen not to words, but to reactions to questions, to notice hidden desires and needs. Not everything that is desired, people can realize and express in words.

Man always has two motives. One true and second, which sounds beautiful.
Henry Ford

During the observation, try to also note the emotional coloring of the actions that you notice. It is on emotions that priorities should be placed, the strength of necessity and the degree of influence on a person of a particular design characteristic. In the next stages, it will allow to pay attention to the most important in design, what will make a person the happiest.

Good design often:

• It makes the user feel that he is an accomplice of something important and bigger than himself. For example, products that contribute to environmental protection.
• It makes it easier for a person to bear his obligations to other people.
• Improves productivity.
• Makes a person happy. Moreover, not everything that makes a person happy improves his life (for example, cigarettes).
• Makes a person's life better (good for health, family, relationships with others, and so on).
• Increases the value of a product or service in the eyes of the consumer (for example, a titanium phone case).

To invent something new, it is not necessary to invent it. You can just look at the old "new eyes." There are a lot of unsolved problems that everyone is used to and do not notice. No one will tell you, but they can be seen by observing the actions of people and finding their true motives.

Design controls feelings, therefore, to create it, it is necessary to determine what a person does, what he says about it, what he thinks and what he feels. For good observation, you can do the following, in order of preference:

• Directly observe and communicate with those who will use the result of the design.
• Analyze reviews, the environment and how people use a design object.
• Get your experience identical to the user experience, for example, in role-playing scenarios or in a real live environment (to become a user for a while).