Designing
Empathy
with
Aaron Gustafson
@AaronGustafson
adaptivewebdesign.info

Photo Credit: Stuck in Customs

Designing
Empathy
with

Design ≠
Image Credit: L.e.e
Art _
Photo Credit: faith goble

Photo Credit: Abby Lanes
Art serves the Artist

“ I’ve been amazed at how
often those outside the
discipline of design assume
that what designers do is
decoration—likely because
so much bad design simply
is decoration. Good design
isn’t. Good design is
problem solving.”
– Jeffrey Veen

de·sign
/dəˈzīn/
To devise for a specific function or end
Classical: To indicate
Medieval Latin: designare, to mark out

David Carson
has been called
“the most
influential
graphic designer
of our times”
Photo Credit: © Marc Eckardt for FontShop, Berlin.

It was Art

It was Ego

subjective,
“
personal, and
self-indulgent”
Photo Credit: © Marc Eckardt for FontShop, Berlin.

“ Your ego is a
bad designer.”
– Christopher Butler

http://demo.northkingdom.com/ihuvudetpatoyota/index_en.html

http://demo.northkingdom.com/ihuvudetpatoyota/index_en.html

http://demo.northkingdom.com/ihuvudetpatoyota/index_en.html

Just because you can
doesn’t mean you should
Photo Credit: harald walker

Photo Credit: Laurence & Annie
Design
isn’t about
showing off

Design to
Photo Credit: altemark
communicate
not alienate

Design = Creativity
for Communication

Designing
Empathy
with

em·pa·thy
/ˈem-pə-thē/
From the Greek empathia meaning
“state of emotion”

em·pa·thy
/ˈem-pə-thē/
The action of understanding, being
aware of, being sensitive to, and
vicariously experiencing the feelings,
thoughts, and experience of another …
without having the feelings, thoughts,
and experience fully communicated in
an objectively explicit manner

Meet
Charlie

and
Jack

Observe
Photo Credit: [phil h]

Question
Photo Credit: [phil h]

Listen
Photo Credit: [phil h]

Use your intuition
Photo Credit: [phil h]

Be Patient
Photo Credit: [phil h]

Perspective
is everything
Photo Credit: ZeroOne

Empathy is about
“
showing solidarity
with others who
have a one and only
life on this planet.”
– Jeremy Rifkin

Solidarity requires
communication
Photo Credit: LeonArts.at

Global Community
Nation States
Religious Groups
Tribes

Global response
within 3 hours
Photo Credit: United Nations Development Programme

em·pa·thy
/ˈem-pə-thē/
The action of understanding, being
aware of, being sensitive to, and
vicariously experiencing the feelings,
thoughts, and experience of another …
without having the feelings, thoughts,
and experience fully communicated in
an objectively explicit manner

em·pa·thy
/ˈem-pə-thē/
The action of understanding, being
aware of, being sensitive to, and
vicariously experiencing the feelings,
thoughts, and experience of another …
without having the feelings, thoughts,
and experience fully communicated in
an objectively explicit manner
Also: the capacity for this

John Rawls
1921-2002

Selfishness is a survival instinct
Photo Credit: Malingering

Photo Credit: Stuck in Customs
We are able to empathize by
seeing ourselves
in others.

Personas foster empathy
In UX, we use
personas to
help us empathize
Credit: Kevin O’Connor

They also
frequently
devolve
into another
name for
“the user”
Photo Credit: Tinker*Tailor loves Lalka

Personas
need to
be real.
They need
to be
human.
Photo Credit: code poet

User Scenarios =
situational empathy
Photo Credit: Sergiu Bacioiu

User Scenarios =
situational empathy
User scenarios =
situational empathy
Kitty: Sergiu Bacioiu; Fire: Mr. Theklan

Design is
problem
a
solving
Photo Credit: Unhindered by Talent

A
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A
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IPIT
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A
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Call out the
relevant facts:
Bob is a mechanic
He is left- handed
He wants to look up
parts info (and
possibly order a
replacement part)
while under a car
Photo Credit: Neil. Moralee

We only need enough detail
to be able to put ourselves in
his shoes.
Photo Credit: Frisno

We only need enough detail
to be able to put ourselves in
his shoes.
Who cares
about his
macchiato
addiction?
Photo Credit: Frisno

We want info on his
• goals,
Photo Credit: Neil. Moralee

We want info on his
• goals,
• needs,
Photo Credit: Neil. Moralee

We want info on his
• goals,
• needs,
• circumstances,
Photo Credit: Neil. Moralee

We want info on his
• goals,
• needs,
• circumstances,
• outside influences,
Photo Credit: Neil. Moralee

We want info on his
• goals,
• needs,
• circumstances,
• outside influences,
• distractions, and
Photo Credit: Neil. Moralee

We want info on his
• goals,
• needs,
• circumstances,
• outside influences,
• distractions, and
• limitations.
Photo Credit: Neil. Moralee

User scenarios help us
empathize in a productive way
Photo Credit: Chris Garrison

Photo Credit: Horia Varlan

Set a performance budget
Photo Credit: Gunnar Ries

Author appropriate content
Photo Credit: schoschie

Consider physical limitations
Photo Credit: lastquest

Facilitate satisfaction
Photo Credit: CaptPiper

Don’t create
unnecessary
barriers
Photo Credit: andrechinn

Don’t force
your agenda
on your
customers
Credit: XKCD

Consider
indirect
users

Consider
indirect
users

Consider
indirect
users

Support common
assistive
technology
Credit: windsordi

Help users learn to
accomplish complex
tasks and
reward
them for
doing so.
Credit: pasukaru76

Progressive Reduction
http://layervault.tumblr.com/post/42361566927/progressive-reduction

Progressive Reduction
http://layervault.tumblr.com/post/42361566927/progressive-reduction

Progressive Reduction
http://layervault.tumblr.com/post/42361566927/progressive-reduction

Hurt not others in
ways that you yourself
would find harmful.
–Buddhism
Do unto others as you
would have them do
unto you.
–Christianity
The Golden Rule
No one of you is a
believer until he
desires for his brother
that which he desires
for himself.
–Islam
What is hateful to you,
do not to your fellow
man. That is the entire
law; all the rest is
commentary.
–Judaism

“ [Progressive enhancement]
keeps the design open to
the possibilities of sexiness
in opportune contexts,
rather than starting with
the ‘whole’ experience that
must be compromised.”
– Ben Hoh

Egalitarianism
Equality of opportunity,
not equality of outcome

Designing
Empathy
with

Thank you
Further reading: http://is.gd/readlist_empathy
Slides: http://slideshare.net/AaronGustafson

Designing with Empathy
by Aaron Gustafson
@AaronGustafson
Further reading:
http://is.gd/readlist_empathy
http://adaptivewebdesign.info
http://blog.easy-designs.net
Slides available at
http://slideshare.net/AaronGustafson
This presentation is licensed under
Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
except where otherwise noted
flickr Photo Credits
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aarongustafson/galleries/72157633153882514/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aarongustafson/galleries/72157633161513316/