Empathy
So I read this book of Roman Krznarcic „Empathy Why it matters and how to get it“? Here are some thoughts, insights out of it.
Empathy is the art of stepping imaginatively into the shoes of another person, understanding their feelings and perspectives, and using that understanding to guide your actions.
6 Habits of highly empathic people
Learning to empathise is like learning a language. R. Krznarcic explains six habits that highly empathic people have in common.
Switch on your empathic brain
Empathy is in every person, look at your own mental framework and see that it’s in everyones life.
Challenge prejudices and discover commonalities
Step into other people’s shoes, acknowledge their individuality and perspectives.
Seek experiental adventures
Take a step out of your comfort zone, see how other people live, travel around, see lives that a completely different to your own.
Listen and open up
Learn to listen and how to ask questions that give deeper insights.
Travel in your armchair
Just look around and transport yourself into other people’s minds with the help of media like art, film, museums etc. When students at university do something for blind people they visit the „Dialogmuseum“ where they experience the life of a blind person.
Inspire a revolution
How can you teach others with the stuff you experience?
What does it mean for a designer?
Create an empathy map – before and after the interview of your target group- you’ll quickly see where you have been too much into prejudices. It will help you to develop a persona with all facets.
For example, when we created Kahu the IoT project for grieving kids at university, we visited a professional mourning group for children that lost one parent. We read a lot about grieving before we visit that group but it wouldn’t have give us the same insights than visiting them. (Sorry only in german..)
