7. empathy: what?
the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing
of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another

8. empathy: what?
huh?

9. empathy: what?
empathy is:
when you feel what the other person is feeling.
when you can mirror their expression, their opinions,
and their hopes.
9

10. empathy: why?
to discover people’s explicit and implicit needs so that you
can meet them through your design solutions.
10

11. empathize: how?
designers approach empathy . . .
without judgment
with a beginner’s eyes
with curiosity
optimistically
respectfully

12. engage with your users
to learn who they are

13. seek stories
tell me about the last time you _________?
tell me about an experience you’ve had with _________?

14. talk about feelings
how did you feel when _________ happened?
what were you feeling at that moment?

15. follow up with “why?”
really? can you tell me why that matters?
say more about that . . . I see . . . do you know why you
think that?
okay. and that is important because why?

16. sneak peak to the next phase
quotes & defining words thoughts & beliefs
actions & behaviors feelings & emotions
16

17. capture your findings
what you see
your user, body language, artifacts
what you hear
quotes, stories, key words, contradictions
what you feel that your user is feeling
emotions, beliefs, confusion

19. Define:
What’s a need?

21. needs . . .
are human physical and emotional necessities
capture the goals and motivations of the person
for whom you are designing
are verbs, not nouns
(opportunities, not solutions)

22. insights . . .
reframe the challenge
give you an actionable direction to go in
lead to novel solutions

23. part 1: saturate
• understand the experience
• identify user, reveal the needs, articulate insights
reframe the problem into a new point of view

24. part 1: saturate methods
understand the experience
share stories
identify user, reveal the needs, articulate insights
grouping : empathy maps
reframe the problem into a new point of view

26. quotes & defining words thoughts & beliefs
actions & behaviors feelings & emotions
< what we see & hear what we feel the user is feeling >

27. tips
short
specific
sexy

29. part 2: synthesize
understand the experience : share stories
identify user, reveal the needs, articulate insights
• reframe the problem into a new point of view

30. point of view: construction
has empathetic language about the user
(think specific)
identifies a need that is deep & emotional
(think verb)
incorporates unexpected insights
(think observation + interpretation)

31. point of view: what?
a unique, concise reframing of the problem that is
grounded in user needs & insights

33. point of view: components
user be specific
need use verbs
insight observation + interpretation

34. point of view: components
user babies in rural areas
need immediate warmth in early hours
insight bring warmth to the babies

35. 35

36. Focus on
individuals
36

38. synthesize: how?

39. identify patterns

40. isolate outliers

41. create composites

42. part 2: synthesize mad-lib
user need insight

43. part 2: synthesize mad-lib
user need insight

44. point of view: components
user
be specific
need
use verbs
insight
= observation + interpretation

45. point of view: components
user specific user
desperate nepali mother
need
to keep premature baby warm in
the early hours need, not
insight solution
most mothers don’t have the
means to bring their baby to a
hospital
what nobody
else noticed

46. point of view: components
user
teenager
need
to eat healthy food
insight
certain nutrients are necessary for
physical and cognitive health and
development

47. point of view: components
user specific user
9th grade girl at a new school
need
to eat healthy food
insight
certain nutrients are necessary for
physical and cognitive health and
development

48. point of view: components
user specific user
9th grade girl at a new school
need
to feel socially accepted while deep need
eating healthy food that’s hers,
insight not ours
certain nutrients are necessary for
physical and cognitive health and
development

49. point of view: components
user specific user
9th grade girl at a new school
need
to feel socially accepted while deep need
eating healthy food that’s hers,
insight not ours
in her hood, a social risk is more
dangerous than a health risk
surprising finding rooted
in empathy work

52. the best way to get a good idea
is to get a lot of ideas.
— linus pauling, nobel prize chemist

53. brainstorm: demo

54. brainstorm: how?

55. brainstorm: best practices
define the problem clearly and succinctly

56. brainstorm: how?

57. selection: how?
One vote each for:
1. Most likely to succeed
2. Most likely to delight
3. Most breakthrough

60. prototype: why?
to gain empathy understand the design space
to explore build to think
to test test and refine solutions
to inspire inspire with your prototype

61. prototype: fail early and often
cost of failure vs. project time

62. prototype: scale resolution
“Like this?”
“Mm, yes like that.”
Developed for Gyrus ACMI, ENT Division

63. prototype: create experiences