In any major process the first step is always crucial and can either send the people running it down a successful path or failure. That’s why it’s always important to take the time to know if the first step is being done correctly and efficiently. For design thinking, the first major step is to empathize. This part of the process mainly focuses on observing and engaging with others as well as immersion. The observers may choose to record their data using things like interviews, surveys, documentaries, and empathy maps. It’s one thing to know how to apply this concept to design thinking, but greater success can be achieved if the person takes the time to know exactly what empathy stands for and why it is vital to the design process for anyone.
Empathy gives a person the chance to see how another person feels for themselves and see the impact it has on them emotionally. It can become a skill for a person when used multiple times and can continue to grow in terms of size and capability in the mind. There are different approaches everyone has when it comes to empathy. When a person tries to feel what someone else feels then it is effective while if a person tries to connect with how someone else feels then it is cognitive. There are certain strengths and weakness for each empathizer but being aware of those areas can help a person to become more empathetic. Sometimes people will seek out others to empathize for them. Knowing that another person would feel the same way they do by empathizing helps to create comfort and a relief from a sense of belonging. It lets the person know that what they are feeling is normal for anyone and they should not be concerned. Empathy used to only be used for direct human to human interactions but now it has grown into something much more because of the ability it has to help people understand more than they know. Companies came up with the idea to create products that could help empathize people and the challenges they faced but now other areas, such as the health care system, are using this method to help both patients and doctors/nurses achieve better results thanks to innovation.
As stated before there are many ways to help breakdown and empathize for others to have a clearer picture for the design thinking process. Empathy maps are a great way to visually map out what is going on in a certain situation from the perspectives of both the user and person directly being affected. Observation captures what an observer would see without having any judgment or bias to what is going on, making it easier to see where the problem(s) may begin. Feelings allow the designer to hear what is going on inside the user’s mind and the feelings they have during the action so that the designer can help to make the process more enticing. Needs help to directly narrow the process down to what exactly needs to be addressed and fixed or seek an alternative way. Then thinking allows the designer to hear the direct judgments and bias of the user on what they think about the process. Insights and problems again lay out the areas that need fixing for the user and those are directly addressed in the ideas and solutions part which tries to find a solution that comes to a fair agreement for both parties involved in the process.
