Empathy is not just a buzzword!
In simple speak, empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another within their frame of reference. At first glance, one would assume this is easy and frankly shouldn’t be a big deal but in reality, the reverse is the case. You would wonder why.
We humans are super sophisticated creatures with deep layers summing our entire beings, an average adult human is a potpourri of everything right and wrong with zigzagging emotions to crown it all. Bearing this in mind, one would think we would be a lot more empathetic to one another…
Empathy is required in every facet of life and most especially so in the creation and designing of products. Empathy in UX design requires the designer to understand the users to a large extent; know their needs, be aware of their pain points and provide sustainable solutions to these needs and problems.
We live in a world where customer experience and satisfaction rank paramount, as a brand you will be doing your users a great disservice if empathy is lacking in the whole design thinking process but not to worry this is a skill that can be learned and developed over time with mindfulness and a great dose of listening skills.
I will conclude with this quote from C. Joybell “Empathy is the ability to step outside of your bubble and into the bubbles of other people.”
