The Story Corps Airstream recording studio.

Using StoryCorps to conduct Empathy Interviews!

At the Teachers Guild, we are fans of design thinking, especially the empathy and discover stage. This is where we can delve into people’s stories so that we are designing solutions for real people for real problems.

We’re also big fans of conducting Empathy Interviews using the StoryCorps app. StoryCorps and the StoryCorps App were “created as a global platform for listening, connecting, and sharing stories of the human experience” and so are perfect for empathy interviews.

The StoryCorps app guides you through the process of interviewing someone and is easy to use. Below is some information on on using Storycorps to conduct your interviews. And if you have other questions, reach out to me at jessica@teachersguild.org.

Steps:

Before:

1. Download the app on your phone! It’s simple and free!
2. Prep your questions — use The Teachers Guild guide to help!

During:

1. Sit with the person you’re interviewing. Explain to them how you’ll be using the interview and make sure they know you’ll be sharing it publicly. If you’re interviewing a minor, make sure you get parent/guardian consent. If you are a teacher and are interviewing a student under the age of 18, make sure to double check your school’s policies on social media and using a student’s image, a student’s voice, and/or a student’s words online.
2. Have your questions ready and be in a quiet place. Hit record and go through Storycorps’ easy step-by-step process .

After:

1. Now for the fun part! Once you hit “publish” you’ll get a link to your interview online.
2. And you’ll see an image that will look sort of like this.

7) The important thing to notice is the share icon

8) Once you click on the share icon, you get a screen like the one below:

9) Grab the “Embed Widget” — just copy it!

10) Head back to The Teachers Guild site. Then, to include your interview in the post so that it plays directly from your post, click on the video camera icon in your draft:

11) Paste your embed code in the space where it says “embedded code” and click “OK.” Your interview should show up! Still need help? Watch the screencast below.

Questions? Successes? Share in the comments below. Visit the Teachers Guild site to join our current collaboration.