Empathy: Who are your users? What do they NEED? What do they value? Understanding Design Thinking

Empathy

Is the foundation of a human-centered design process. To empathize, you:

Observe - view users and their behavior in the context of their lives.

Engage - interact with and interview users through both scheduled and short ‘intercept’ encounters. Immerse - experience what your user experiences.

Watching what people do and how they interact with their environment gives you clues about what they think and feel. It helps you to learn about what they need. By watching people you can capture physical manifestations of their experiences, what they do and say. This will allow you to interpret intangible meaning of those experiences in order to uncover insights. These insights will lead you to the innovative solutions. The best solutions come out of the best insights into human behavior.

Assume beginners mindset

Don’t judge. Just observe and engage users without the influence of value judgments

Question everything. Question even (and especially the obvious). Questions to learn about how the user perceives the world. Think about how a 4-year-old asks “Why?”

about everything. Follow up an answer to one “why” with a second “why.”

Be truly curious.

Find patterns.

Listen. Really.

Do you think google home page/landing page was by design?

Tools

What? | How? | Why?

is a tool that can help you drive to deeper levels of observation. This simple scaffolding allows you to move from concrete observations of a particular situation to the more abstract

emotions and motives that are at play in that situation. This is a particularly powerful technique to leverage when analyzing photos that your team has taken into the field, both for synthesis purposes, and to direct your team to future areas of need finding.

WHY interview

You want to understand a person’s thoughts, emotions, and motivations, so that you can determine how to innovate for him or her. By understanding the choices that person makes and the behaviors that person engages in, you can identify their needs, and design to meet those needs.

How to interview

Ask why. Even when you think you know the answer, ask people why they do or say things. The answers will sometimes surprise you. A conversation started from one question should go on as long as it needs to.

Never say “usually” when asking a question. Instead, ask about a specific instance or occurrence, such as “tell me about the last time you ______”

Encourage stories. Whether or not the stories people tell are true, they reveal how they think about the world. Ask questions that get people telling stories.

Look for inconsistencies. Sometimes what people say and what they do are different. These inconsistencies often hide interesting insights.

Pay attention to nonverbal cues. Be aware of body language and emotions.

Don’t be afraid of silence. Interviewers often feel the need to ask another question when there is a pause. If you allow for silence, a person can reflect on what they’ve just said and may reveal something deeper.

Don’t suggest answers to your questions. Even if they pause before answering, don’t help them by suggesting an answer. This can unintentionally get people to say things that agree with your expectations.

Ask questions neutrally. “What do you think about buying gifts for your spouse?”

Michael Joseph - Observation

Henry Ford - Pick the adjective not the noun

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

Design thinking for trust

Deep insights

@Abdifarah Haji @Absalom Alila @Amos Chege Kirongo @Sharon Ndegwa @robert yawe @Eve Nyasha @Edwin Simiyu @Eric Kinoti @Reality Cheque @Bomet S. Brian @Carrie Kaumbulu @Bancy Ngatia @Sarah Onchangu @Diana Tiren @Fredrick Adhing'a @Gladys N. Gatiba @Maria Njoroge @Liz Kitua @Joy Kinyanjui @Joel Okioi @jedondiko @Samuel Wachira @Silas Okuku @Faith Mutule @David Omondi @Daniel Murangiri @William Nguru @Ha-Dassah Taby Kagira @Aliraza Sumar @Mona Musibega @Maimuna Abdurahim @Dennis Mandela @Kelvin Roman @Kevin Otiato @Kennedy Mumo @Frankline Kihiu @Fredrick Adhing'a @Liwali Kivumanyuki @Linus Wahome @Nicole Nanzai @Mike Kiwo @Christine Atieno @Billcountry Mwaniki @Moses Akwiri Okoth

Ideate

Creativity