THIS RELATIONSHIP NEEDS WORK
using empathy to drive innovation and creativity
•  Solve problems for real people
•  Take complicated things and
make them clear
•  Believe most conflicts could be
solved more efficiently
with a dance off
I’m Gretchen. Things I do:
I believe in
designing things that
matter,
work well, and
make people happy.
This is NOT a talk about
•  Marketing
•  Branding
•  Product development
•  Strategy
•  User experience
BUT FIRST A STORY
Patricia Moore
Patricia Moore
THINGS WE HAVE
because of Pattie Moore
new class of designer
peel-away cereal liners
mammography machine
OXO Good Grips
AT&T, Baxter Healthcare, Bell Communication, Beverly
Enterprises, BOEING, Canadair, CARF International, Citibank,
Corning Glass, General Electric, GTE, Hill-Rom, Herman Miller
Healthcare, Honolulu Light Rail, Johnson & Johnson, Johnson
Wax, Kimberly Clark, Kaiser Permanente, Kraft General Foods,
LOrad, NASA, Norelco NA, Merck, Sharp and Dohme, Manor
Care, Marriott, Maytag, Monsanto, OXO, Pfizer, Playtex,
Procter & Gamble, Searle Laboratories, Seoul Design City
Project, Sky Train [Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport], Sunbeam, 3M,
Valley Metro [Phoenix] Rail, Walgreen's and Whirlpool.
Even more products from all of these companies
?
This is a talk about empathy.
EMPATHY
drives real innovation that matters to people
WHAT IS EMPATHY?
EMPATHY
noun, ’em-pǝ-thé
the ability to share somebody else’s feelings
empathy is not
how YOU feel
Empathy
is how THEY feel
Empathy
is about RELATIONSHIPS
The Good News
we’re built for it
The Bad News
it takes work
USING EMPATHY
as a path to innovative products and services
Forming Relationships
identify unmet needs and desires
Experience Strategy
plan to solve real human problems
Content
strategy
Visual
paths
Digital Design
serving real human needs
•  Time Magazine's 50 Best Websites, 2008, 2009, and 2010
•  Webby Award Winner, 2009
•  People's Voice Winner for Banking/Bill Paying, Webby Awards 2009
•  People's Voice Winner for Financial Services, Webby Awards 2008, 2009
•  Top pick and 4-stars from Money Magazine, 2008
•  One of Kiplinger's best budgeting sites, 2008
•  PC World's Top Rated Online Finance Service, 2008
•  PC Magazine Editors' Choice, 2008
•  PC World 25 Most Innovative Products, 2007
•  TechCrunch40 Best Presenting Company $50,000, September 18, 2007
•  Time's 50 Best Android Applications for 2013
Awards for Mint.com
Healthcare.gov
Service Design
Empathy at retail
Empathy at retail
Empathy at retail
THAT SOUNDS HARD.
can’t we just use market research?
Yes, it is.
And you need both.
What Happens
when you only use market research
“take your music
with you
anywhere”
“about as pleasant as
having an airbag
deploy in your face”
Apple iPod vs. Microsoft Zune
THE CASE FOR EMPATHY
it’s not just a bunch of touchy feely stuff
1. EMPATHY leads to INNOVATION
Seeing the world with new eyes is the best pathway
to fresh ideas – and a pathway to products and
services that matter.
Empathizing with Kids
innovative design
Designed for Pilots
used by everyone
2. The MAP is not the TERRITORY
DATA is not PEOPLE
The Map
“mobile is the future”
The Territory
a very different story
3. EMPATHY is ETHICAL
GREAT!
how do we make some empathy?
You don’t make it
Create an Environment
Get to know customers
…even if you think you already do
Leave your comfort zone behind
1.  Create the environment
2.  Form relationships
3.  Leave your comfort zone
4.  Solve real problems
5.  ?
6.  ?
bring EMPATHY to your work
Thank You.

THIS RELATIONSHIP NEEDS WORK: using empathy to drive innovation and creativity