“I empathize, therefore I innovate”. Does this hold true?
The first step of Design Thinking can provide a better understanding of circumstances, and help us gain a different perspective.
Are you sure you and I see the same thing? And are you sure we understand the same thing, based on what we see? Do we have the same reading of the circumstance?
If we are to walk together, isn’t it worthwhile acknowledging each other’s perspective? Not arguing or competing on the “correct” reading, but rather appreciating that there can be more than one reading for the same artifact or situation, coming from different starting points in life, education, or experience. And most certainly, there can be more readings than our own, potentially enriching our perception toward a holistic understanding of the circumstance at hand.
In light of thinking about design within a business outlook, we will be discussing what the first step of Design Thinking entails. If you need more context on the value of Design Thinking in businesses, read this first:
The active behavior of stepping in another person’s shoes is described with a very widely discussed term in recent years: empathy. This is no accident, as it is considered a behavior that helped human beings develop deep and meaningful connections during their evolution, potentially being an important thread for our social fabric. Brené Brown, in this widely shared short video from the RSA, has a lot to offer. It is a stance where one leaves biases, habits, and preconceptions aside, and seeks to enter the frame of mind of another being.
Every so often, empathy: the term comes up in business meetings, marketing strategies, HR training programs, design and product development teams. If you’ve ever been involved in creating a new direction in business, marketing, training, product or service you are probably a first-hand witness. It also comes up when discussing design and innovation, with approaches like Design Thinking placing it at the beginning of the cycle for discovering new opportunities for business. In this circumstance, it is mostly thought of as empathizing with users: understanding the humans performing specific tasks within a context, who interact with a service or product. A broader way of thinking may consider empathy: the behavior in regard to more than human entities, e.g. other species or parts of nature, in order for us humans to navigate and set a course of actions in a complex world with great challenges. But this is probably something worth a separate medium post.
As a designer and educator, I’d like to respond to some frequently asked questions on empathy regarding innovation, in the hope of being useful to the business world and design aficionados alike.
Where could empathy be practiced?
Depending on the context, showing and practicing empathy should become a habit rather than an add-on to one’s daily routines.
Where, you ask?
In conversations: in business meetings, interviews, watercooler chit chat, with friends and family or a stranger on the street — choose your words.
In written communication: in casual and formal emails, on social media posts, in text messages, articles or a job rejection letter — choose what you type in.
In non-verbal communication: while walking on the street, driving, waiting in a queue, attending a festival or choosing your spot on the beach — choose how you act.
In short — empathy is a good idea to be practiced everywhere.
Is practicing empathy difficult?
Well, all you have to do is be nice as a human.
Considerate, compassionate, listening to understand, aware of what is being said and how actions affect the world you occupy. Conscious of what you are thinking, going to say and do. Articulate in your responses, clear in your reactions. So, really, it is not all that easy. There is plenty to keep in mind at any one moment, however, experience shows that it is a frame of mind that one can work on and develop into a habit.
Don’t neglect to do so!
Are there ways to understand empathy’s potential?
Plenty of techniques borrowed from social sciences, design or the performing arts may be used to understand what motivates people and uncover realities of others.
But if you want to try it out at home, take a simple test: brush your teeth. Observe: which hand do you use? In what order do you tend to the geography of your mouth? Upper front teeth first or not? Inside out or vice versa? When and how do you floss? Now, ask your spouse/roommate to carry out the same task. Observe: how similar are their actions to yours? Do you note any differences in how the activity is performed? In the order of actions? Ask why they do what they do in each instance. Then, try to understand what makes them do so. And a new insight might appear! Let me know — I’m also curious!
Why has ‘empathy: the term’ been so interesting for the business world?
Once upon a time, businesses needed to convince potential customers that their product was the best by using facts & persuasion techniques. But times change. People change — we grow wiser, as a species, as employees and customers, and have different needs that reflect the evolving zeitgeist. We hardly accept being patronized and told we need what we never knew we wanted. This is complexity for businesses and barely allows for an impactful straight forward ‘convincing campaign’ to make a difference. Businesses have realized they ought to understand customers in order to achieve product-market fit. However, there is a hidden hope (in some of us, at least) that apart from customers, businesses will enter an inner evaluation practicing empathy to understand employees, the people and communities affected by their activities, other species we share our natural environment with, and in the long-view, the planet. But again — this might be a theme for a separate post.
Thus, many innovation evangelists and methodologies place empathy: the behavior as a starting point in the search of the “next big thing”. That, which is going to be of interest and relevance to the new world, serving the new evolving needs of humans, species and natural environment. But how well this behavior is interweaved in business activities is no thoughtless act.
Can I use empathy just for my business goals?
Although connecting with their customers is mostly why businesses are currently interested in empathy, and many sales representatives pass the test with flying colors, it might not be wise to apply empathy as a “tool” to solely achieve business goals. It will only be a matter of time until this behavior is sniffed out, the organization be labeled as using deceiving, gaslighting and brainwashing techniques, which will make the business’ fame rebound quite difficult.
Why not practice being a nice human being instead, aiming for win-win situations? The ones where you treat other humans, natural and artificial environment respectfully, no matter whether they are in the presence of your behavior acting out or not.
Is empathy the only way to innovation?
Empathy is no panacea. It can be a great approach to understand a brief and a theme you will be involved with, from the perspective of the people and context affected and who will be involved in the complete lifecycle of what you might propose as a product or service. It is one of many approaches and perspectives to innovate. And indeed, it might not always be the most appropriate. Consider empathy in the business environment as a way for understanding the stakeholders and context in which an organization operates. Then decide how deep you need to go in your understanding.
Does empathy guarantee innovative results and groundbreaking solutions?
Not if it is ill-practiced. Not if you don’t leave space for it to breathe. Not if you aren’t committed to it. Not if it falls prey to hard business goals. Not if you are a one (wo)man show. Though it will most certainly provide a different perspective to the team searching for alternative solutions, novel insights depend on connections. Such as the ones you had to do at the end of your brushing teeth experiment. But what can guarantee the delivery of innovation, anyway?
As a practitioner, you might have come across the above questions. As a product or service strategist for your organization, you may have had such questions pop up at any time. The above responses have arisen from personal professional experience and are by no means the one and only truth.
But if you don’t mind me asking: have you had more questions ruminating? I’d be glad to discuss it!
This text has been written as the first in a series of five, discussing the design process with a business outlook. The links to the texts will be added here as soon as they are published.
Next articles:
Step 2 — [define]:
Step 3— [ideate]:
Step 4 — [prototype]:
Step 5 — [test]:
Learn how to turn innovation on in any organization or reach out to Found.ation for a tailored solution: thefoundation.gr.
