Empathy & Design

Community Thoughts on Empathy & Design...

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   In Design, Empathy is Not Enough by Dan Saffer via Medium “But empathy is only a stepping stone on the way to a more important place: understanding. Understanding encompasses not only the experience of being the user (empathy) but also the forces working against the user, be they technology, business, other people, or culture. Empathy will get you to see the problems from the users’ perspective, but not the solutions.”

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   A Year of Wonder: The Neuroscience of Empathy by Sam Chaltain via Medium “‘Our brains are capable of mirroring the deepest aspects of the minds of others at the fine-grained level of a single brain cell’ … ‘We do not have to draw complex inferences or run complicated algorithms. When we look at others, we find both them and ourselves.’”

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   Why Reading a Book Can Help Us Love Our Fellow Humans by Sarah Kovac via GOOD “‘Reading about others’ feelings and actions can activate brain areas … that enable us to subjectively relate to what these experiences feel like.’ So stories, especially when experienced through the written word, have the ability to move us so deeply that they can actually rewire our brains.”

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   Designing Beyond Empathy by Michael Chapman via Medium “Fieldwork, going to the places where people are living their lives to conduct research, is where we start to really connect with people. We learn about who they are, participate in their activities, and uncover their needs. We witness emotional responses, body language, context, and their use of space. By connecting with individuals in the field, we’re able to collect their stories and perspectives.”

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   How Empathy Works by Katja Battarbee via Medium “At the end of the day, a (design) culture that embraces design empathy is a culture of good listeners and storytellers that communicates both emotionally and analytically and never loses sight of what is most important for the situations they are shaping.”