The Empathy Gap Is Real in Product Development

The Empathy Gap Is Real in Product Development

Some words are used interchangeably. Take “emotion” and “feeling.” Emotions are sparked in the unconscious mind — fear, anger, surprise, happiness. Feelings are what happens when we integrate emotions into our consciousness, layering our personal history as a lens. So while emotions might be somewhat universal, our feelings are unique to us. We all feel differently.

Product managers are innately curious about what others feel — you have the passion to understand problems and the drive to find real solutions.

The importance of empathy in product development has become quite a popular topic these days.?I have written?a lot about it as have others. But one thing that often gets missed is how hard and exhausting empathy can be. Feeling what others feel is intense and a bit esoteric — most product managers I know struggle with it.

I was reminded of this when speaking with a?seasoned VP of product?recently. They shared challenges with dysfunctional cross-team communication and a temperamental CEO who kept changing directions. The product managers on the team had many years of experience but rarely spoke with customers. When something new was finally released after months of work, it quickly became clear that only a few people actually found it useful.

In an environment like the one I just described, you can see a few issues. First, that?years of experience?alone is not a proxy for empathy. And yes, it is true that depending on your product and who you serve, it can be very hard to imagine what users experience. But you never will if you do not try. Second, internal conflict will tank your product plans. You need open communication and understanding with stakeholders across the organization. Product development is much more than tidying backlogs and updating?roadmaps.

The empathy gap is a real threat to every product team —?you cannot achieve product excellence unless you can empathize with the people who build, sell, support, and use your product.

Most people struggle to understand the perspective or predict the actions of someone who is in a different mental state. But that is what product managers do every day — from?working with the development team?to choosing what to prioritize for customers. If you are a leader in title or action, you can help close the gap by instilling a sustainable approach to empathy:

Detach with intention

Approach empathy like an investigator or scientist. This is not about what?you?would do, after all. Reframe your internal monologue and try to visualize mental states that are different from your own. Start with depersonalizing when you ponder problems. Let’s say you work on a fitness tracker with built-in GPS. Rather than ask “What would I do if I was lost on a run?” you could shift to “What challenges would an athlete face when the trail is lost?”

Discuss with real people

Imagining is theoretical. You might come up with a few good insights, but it is all speculative. There is a smarter way to empathize that is deceptively simple — gather real information from real people. You just need a mechanism for doing so. With customers, you can hold?empathy sessions, form advocacy committees, or listen in on support calls. Internally you can build time into your?product team meetings?for open-ended discussion with each functional group. These are opportunities for you to learn more about individual perspectives.

Reduce bias with data

You might speak with?many customers. But you will not be able to connect with all of them. And even if you could, there are other factors that go into building a product —?company values, business strategy, financials. Data can be a useful tool as you navigate all those inputs. Just remember that while the past is often a good indicator of the future, it cannot tell you what users would do with something entirely new.

Decipher with caution

One data point is just one data point. There are likely dozens more that could sway you in different directions. One voice is just one voice. Often the most vocal customers are not reflective of the?majority. Your cross-functional colleagues bring the baggage of their own work. You will have?good days?and bad days yourself. Context is everything and this is where experienced product managers listen closely and never assume. Remember that your own mental state can affect how you internalize what you hear from others.

A sense of belonging is powerful — when we feel we are in something together with folks who truly understand us, deep bonds form.

And before you think that this is all one-sided altruism, I want to add one more benefit. Practicing empathy for others will help with self-compassion and quiet inner discord. It is a virtuous cycle. Apply the same methodical approach to your own challenges as you grow in your career and take on new responsibilities.

Empathy leads to more meaningful relationships and can even inspire love. What you invest in learning how to empathize and making it a habit will be returned to you tenfold. The team will feel more in sync. Conversations will be more authentic. Your product will resonate better with customers.

How do you practice empathy?

About Brian and Aha!

Brian de Haaff seeks business and wilderness adventure. He is the co-founder and CEO of Aha! — the world’s #1 roadmap software and one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. He is also the author of the bestseller Lovability. Brian writes and speaks about product and company growth and the adventure of living a meaningful life.

Aha! is a different kind of high-growth SaaS company. We are the world's #1 roadmap software and help people achieve their best. Over 5,000 enterprises and 500,000 product, innovation, and engineering leaders trust our software to build lovable products and be happy doing it. We are self-funded, highly profitable, always distributed, and have no sales team. Aha! is recognized as one of the best companies in the U.S. to work for and we have donated nearly $1M to people in need through Aha! Cares. Learn more at www.aha.io.

Michael Erwin

? Transforming managers who say "it's easier to do it myself" into confident, influential leaders who work less yet accomplish 3x more using proven unique methods from my 30 years in Leadership.

3 年

Love this! Some really valuable insights here, appreciate you sharing it, Brian!

回复
Heather Chavin, MA (Personal Development)

? Ditch Overwhelm for Meaningful Work (Coach 10+ Yrs) | Free Virtual Coworking Community: GoGoDone (6+ Yrs) | Productivity Newsletter with Inspiring Visuals

3 年

I work a ton with empathy from counseling to coaching to developing everything I offer. When your customers are a lot like you, you can fall into the trap of serving them by serving yourself. I JUST made a change to a new service I was about to launch because I paused and looked at my customers' behaviors and revisited some notes I took from customer interviews I had done. Peter Nakamura - this is right up your alley. I'd be SUPER interested in your thoughts on this. The help you've given me on prototyping and customer interviews is totally in line with this.

回复

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Brian de Haaff的更多文章

  • Agents are writing our code

    Agents are writing our code

    Dear adventurer, I made a bold prediction 12 years ago. I was writing one of my first posts on the Aha! blog and shared…

    8 条评论
  • Do you have something to say?

    Do you have something to say?

    Dear adventurer, About one-third of the people in a meeting will never say a word. At least, that seems to be the…

    8 条评论
  • The real reason forcing people back to the office

    The real reason forcing people back to the office

    Dear adventurer, New year, new terms in the corporate lexicon. There is "hushed hybrid," which is when folks secretly…

    17 条评论
  • Are you really too busy for me?

    Are you really too busy for me?

    Dear adventurer, The feeling is somewhere between guilt and anxiety. I think most of us have experienced it, maybe even…

    11 条评论
  • PMs should stop worrying what others think

    PMs should stop worrying what others think

    Dear adventurer, I once had a boss who yelled at me for doing what she asked. Yes, you read that right.

    12 条评论
  • $4 million on trash strategy

    $4 million on trash strategy

    Dear adventurer, A strategy for trash? Or maybe a trash strategy. I recently read an article about how New York City…

    16 条评论
  • Finally, The Minimum Tolerable Process

    Finally, The Minimum Tolerable Process

    Dear adventurer, "Would you eat a can of cat food?" The question is Aha! lore at this point. I first brought this up in…

    2 条评论
  • How many meetings a day can a PM tolerate?

    How many meetings a day can a PM tolerate?

    Dear adventurer, Remember when "going agile" was the buzzy phrase on every exec's lips? When I first started writing on…

    9 条评论
  • The VP kept asking this

    The VP kept asking this

    Dear adventurer, How many questions do you get asked each day? In my experience, most questions come in a few…

    6 条评论
  • No more remote work?

    No more remote work?

    Dear adventurer, When did you first start working remotely? I ask because there is a high likelihood that you spent at…

    31 条评论

社区洞察