empathizing with users

BIH UI/UX BOOTCAMP / Microsoft Innovation Center @ Botswana Innovation Hub / bihux.tumblr.com

empathizing with users

Where does the user live? Where does the user come from?

What things does the user have What technologies does the user use?What are his or her skills and proficiencies?

Who does the user live with?Who does the user work with?

What is the user’s day like?When does he/she use the product?

Where

What

Who

When

A plea for empathetic design

“Empathy in design requires deliberate practice. We must intentionally seek opportunities to connect with people in meaningful ways and to set aside reactions and behaviors that will interfere with it. And, once empathy is achieved, it needs to be moderated: apply too much and our thinking loses focus; apply too little and the depth of our insight suffers.”

To empathize you must understand WHY

Never forget about the user.

“I am not the user and the user is not me.”

What makes us human?

We have dreams

We have emotions

We make mistakes

We have first impressions

We have routines

We are cultural

We can be messy

We are impatient

Empathetic design:

simplifies complicated tasks places the burden on the system, not the user keeps the user focused on the task at hand user does not feel overwhelmed physically, cognitively, emotionally appropriate

TurboTax

TurboTax

Design to empower people.

Solve the right problemHelp the user get to know your productGrow your product with your usersadvocate for your usersGet your users involved

To Practice Empathetic design:

Step in the Shoes of a User

Talk to People

Go Outside

Involve Your Users

Talk to Your UsersReally Understand your usersTest with your users Grow your relationship with your users

the design process

…So You Want to Do Research?

Determine What You’re Looking For

Qualitative or Quantitative Research?What questions are you trying to answer?

Be Bold

Go OutsideIntroduce Yourself Look Open

Be Observant

Take Notes. Record how the User might be thinking or feeling.

Use Open Body Language

Be ready to change your question

Activities, Environments, Objects, Interactions, Utterances

Interview Etiquette

Do’s Don’ts

- Listen - Keep it conversational- Set the stage - Remind the participant that you

value their feedback - We’re testing the idea, not them - Explain what you will do - Respect if the participant gets

frustrated

- pose hard questions first- Ask closed questions- overloading questions- asking boring questions- answer your own questions- pose questions in a random

sequence- doing little follow-up on responses- use negative body language

“People don’t want to be asked the questions you’ve asked everyone else already. They want you to care about what they’re saying.”

- Mark Ebner

Listen

Body Language

Wing It

“Hi, My name is Jordan. Nice to meet you.”

“Can you tell me a little more about that?”

“That’s interesting. Can you explain why?”

“Can you show me?”

“Do you like A or B?”

“Can you compare A or B?”

“Who, What, When, Where, How?”

What would you Create/Imagine/Design/Propose?