Why is ‘User’* Empathy Important in Research?

Empathy is one of the most fundamental components of human relationships. It permeates our daily life and is prevalent in our everyday interactions. Empathy, admittedly, can be used interchangeably across different contexts making it a difficult one to define given its subjective and personal nature. In their book on ‘Experience Centered Design’ McCarthy and Wright define empathy as more than simply ‘putting oneself at the other’s shoes’:

Empathy is about being able to imaginatively construct the world from another person’s perspective, while at the same time remembering one’s own point of view in order to creatively work with the difference. [1]

The third series of this publication focuses on empathy as part of the product development process with a specific lens on ‘user’ empathy.

The Importance of ‘User’ Empathy in Product Development

In recent years, empathy has started gaining significant attention and momentum within product development following decades of academic driven efforts that have investigated the relationship between empathy and technology (mostly situated within the practice of Human Computer Interaction [1]). It is not surprising that, in a technologically infused world, empathy is becoming a key differentiator for companies who aim to create products that people love [2].

However, ‘doing’ empathy encompasses numerous practical challenges given the complicated nature of the relationship between people and technology. The natural question that emerges when thinking about the potential benefit of empathy driven product development relates to the ‘how’ this can occur.

“When you develop empathy toward another person, a future customer, you want to learn from that person about his or her needs, behavior, and problems.” [5]

In her recent book on ‘Practical Empathy’, Indi Young highlights that empathy requires a strong mindset shift. One whose anchor-stone is the wish to really understand how another person thinks and feels about a product. Guided by recent reading on empathy ([1], [2], [4], [5], [7]) and my own personal experiences within the UX industry I have put together an approach to fostering ‘user’ empathy within an organization.

My Approach to Developing ‘User’ Empathy Within an Organization

Essentially this approach comes down to the following formula:

Embrace ∧ Learn ∧ Reflect ∧ Accept → Empathy

Each of those formula components are connected with a Boolean AND (the mathematical operator for this is ‘∧’ ), which means that it is essential for them to be applied together in order for empathy to start growing in an organization.

• Embrace empathy → First and foremost, it is important for the organization to recognize the benefits of ‘user’ empathy as part of the product development process. This is the foundation of this formula and, unfortunately, without it the outcome will not be the envisioned one.
• Be ready to learn and not just listen → Secondly, it is crucial for everyone who is engaged in this process (for example the product team) to really be ready to understand and delve into the nuances of what ‘users’ are sharing. Just listening and not being open to learning or adjusting one’s thoughts is not going to have the expected results.
• Reflect → Thirdly, one of the most significant parts of the formula is reflection. This refers to the active identification of potential pitfalls and mistakes that have occurred throughout the product development process that have lead to assumptions made about what ‘users’ wish for a product. Through reflection, individuals are more open to recognizing the need for change in a specific approach.
• Accept → Finally, this formula cannot have the desired effect if individuals are not ready to accept the different point of view that results from what ‘users’ are externalizing. Making assumptions is at the center of being human. However, there are many dangers that hinder when product development teams are not ready to accept an alternate view to their own beliefs and notions (particularly, when this is formed by their prospective or existing ‘users’).

Naturally, this formula will not work at any scenario and context. However, as I mentioned earlier, I have found it extremely useful so far in my career.

How Does this Approach Relate to Player Empathy in Games Research ?

The current landscape in the games industry is saturated with numerous enjoyable and fun games that are all competing for the players’ time. That is especially apparent within the mobile landscape where casual or veteran mobile players can select amongst 774,883 games to play from [6].

Research, within the context of mobile games, can help product and other teams to take player informed decisions that can influence the development process. In plainer terms, by raising player empathy and focusing on the intricacies and challenges of player experience the games that an organization develops will be more closely situated to the heart of the player. I believe that to achieve this level of empathy, the aforementioned formula can help. I guess, I will need some time to find out as I progress through my personal games ‘user’ researcher journey.

On a final note, if you wish to better understand how empathy works in a practical setting I highly encourage looking at the video below by Indi Young:

As always, I am looking forward to your thoughts, feedback and criticism :)

* Throughout this article I am using the word ‘user’ in apostrophes given its impersonal traits. In all honesty, as I mature as a ‘User’ Experience Researcher I am feeling more comfortable with using ‘Human’ instead of ‘User’

References

[1] Peter Wright and John McCarthy. 2010. Experience-Centered Design: Designers, Users, and Communities in Dialogue. Morgan and Claypool Publishers.

[2] Kolko, J. (2014). Well-designed: how to use empathy to create products people love. Boston, MA, Harvard Business Review Press.

[3] https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-maturity-stages-5-8/

[4] Young, I., 2008. Mental models: aligning design strategy with human behavior. Rosenfeld Media.

[5] Young, I., 2015. Practical empathy: For collaboration and creativity in your work.

[6] https://www.pocketgamer.biz/metrics/app-store/

[7] https://hbr.org/2015/04/a-process-for-empathetic-product-design