When approaching any sort of problem or conflict most people jump right into brainstorming a solution. While this tactic is useful and can be successful, it can also lead to a solution that solves only part of the problem. This is why empathy and being immersed into the environment of the “end-user” is crucial to creating successful and meaningful solutions. To really understand an issue you need to first examine and get to know the people directly affected by it. By doing this, tens if not hundreds of new, unexpected solutions will be created. Empathy is a crucial first step in a design process because it allows the developers to immerse themselves in the user’s environment and understand exactly how the issue affects people. Developers will begin to have a deeper connection to their end-user, and in turn, the final product will be created to perfectly fit the user and their issue. Empathy is the key first step in the design process; it immerses the developers into the experiences and the lives of the ‘end-user.” This immersion leads to solutions that are designed wholly with the impact on the end user in mind.
When approaching a new challenge or problem it is easy to fall in love with the first solution, and it is easy to assume you and your team are competent and capable of solving the issue. This mindset often leads to poor solutions, ones that don’t fix the issue completely. When designers approach a problem with a beginner’s mindset they will ideate more and think about who the problem is affecting. Designers who approach a problem with a beginners mindset will fully understand the root of the problem before any real brainstorming has begun. This mindset is crucial to empathize with the end-user; it allows designers to rid themselves of any bias or preconceived notions they have about the problem or the end-user. Frequently, bias, overconfidence, and haste take over design groups, leading to a sub-par solution, or no solution at all. This can be prevented by approaching the challenge with a beginner’s mind. A beginner’s mind is a clean slate, free of bias and preconceived notions; it is the perfect way to create a solution that benefits the end-user entirely. No one person can solve any issue by themselves; the largest and most challenging issues are solved by teams of people. Teamwork does have its challenges though. Conflicts often arise when working in groups and, if not resolved quickly, can be detrimental to the team’s effectiveness and success. In order to navigate these conflicts, team members must be comfortable and willing to express any issues that may arise. This type of open and accepting team environment is established when the team is formed. It is established when the team members gather and have a simple conversation about the correct ways to handle issues when they arise. Along with this, individual team members must put their egos aside and be willing to admit fault if necessary. In a team dynamic, not every idea is the right one; in order to keep the team’s momentum, all teammates must know when they should take a larger role in the group, or when they should take a step back to allow the people who are more suited to help. Setting guidelines early on how to address issues and setting aside individual egos and opinions when necessary will prevent conflicts from destroying a group’s momentum and progress. When working in groups to solve challenges and issues it is essential the team empathizes with their end user and fully immerse themselves into the end users environment. When approaching the issues, teams must have a beginner’s mindset; this allows the team members to unpackage the problem and understand all aspects of the issues itself and how it impacts people. Working in a group comes with its own ups, downs , and challenges, but to keep the team momentum flowing, teams must establish guidelines for approaching issues and know when to set aside their own ego for the benefit of the group.
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Empathy is an innate human emotion and experience, but empathizing with others can become more and more challenging as people develop their own ideas, opinions, and biases. The challenge of empathy can be seen frequently in problem solving; this is where Design Thinking differs from any other approach to problem solving. The first step of design thinking is called “Empathy.” This step consists of several empathy interviews with the end user. This, in my opinion, is the most crucial step to Design Thinking. After conducting several empathy interviews with randomly selected people from Aksarben, I learned the importance of guiding questions. By this I mean, asking specific questions in order to guide the interviewee through their experience in an effective way. Frequently, interviewees tend to lose track of their story or break off into other situations they experienced. While these diversions in the story can lead to amazing breakthroughs and emotional reactions, it is important to guide the interviewee back to the original story. Asking these guiding questions effectively steers the interviewee back to the original story line, and makes the interview much more cohesive and organized. These questions are designed to encourage the interviewee to dive deeper into the emotions they experienced during a certain event, or moment. The importance of guiding questions is just one of the many takeaways I have experienced while conducting empathy interviews. The process of human centered Design Thinking focuses on creating the best solution for the end user, and empathy interviews are the crucial foundation for doing so. |