Thanks for the feedback, and the recommendation to Mary Cantwell’s book. I hadn’t heard of it! And you’re right, I completely forgot to call out empathy. I find that it is mainly a focus during the Getting Inspired Phase, but I wasn’t explicit. And it’s also part of the mindset you need to approach the work.

I’m so glad to hear that building empathy has been transformational for you and your students. What’s surprising is that we don’t take the time to do it more often in our every day, since it is ends up being the real shortcut to good design.