Empathy in Design

As evidence shows, an understanding of people and human behavior is a great asset when it comes to cultivating influence in design. Empathy is needed and is the key ingredient of any great design. If a design is made with no thought to the user who will be using it, it will ultimately fail. This is because it does not provide a solution to a real and present problem.

People who study UX know that it’s our job to fully grasp the needs of people using our products and be the spokesperson for them. When practicing this, we are using empathy and creativity as a means to solve problems for the primary and secondary users. We are also aiming to create an experience that hopefully makes the user feel seen and satisfied.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that we understand our users without witnessing them actually using our products or to believe that our personal experiences reflect those of people everywhere. Instead, influence starts with understanding the goals, motivations, and frustrations of others. This is why user tests and usability tests are just as important as designing a product.