How to hack empathy
Read time: 4 minutes
Most of us build products that aren’t for us.
- Men code menstruation apps
- Childless PMs develop apps for kids
- Happily married people design dating apps
- Able-bodied 20-somethings build devices for older adults
To bridge the gap, we conduct research. We hop on a 30-minute Zoom call to understand our users’ needs, frustrations, and desires. After six interviews, themes emerge. Mission accomplished, we think. And we get to work building our product.
But then something unexpected arises, and a product decision needs to be made immediately. There’s no time to reach out to your users, so you make the decision based on what you think they would want. However, because you only had brief interactions with them (and you’re only human), you end up doing what you would want.
And that’s where the problem lies.
Because most of us are not our users.
So, how do you design the right thing for someone whose life experience is vastly different from your own?
You need to hack empathy.
Patricia Moore: A master in empathy hacking
Patricia Moore: A Master in Empathy Hacking
One of the best empathy hackers out there is Patricia Moore.
In the mid-1970s, Moore was a young industrial designer at one of New York’s top firms, renowned for designing the Coca-Cola bottle. Moore was helping them design a fridge.
During that project, she asked a seemingly simple question, “What if we designed this in a way that worked well for older adults?”
“Pattie,” a senior colleague chastised her, “we don’t design for those people.”
Those people? Moore was outraged.
Weeks later, she happened to meet a makeup artist for Saturday Night Live who specialized in prosthetics to make people look old. “Can you make me look old?” she asked. The makeup artist studied her 26-year-old baby face, then nodded.
“I can make you look very old.”
And so, “Old Pat” was born.
Learnings from “Old Pat”
Over the next three years, Old Pat visited over 100 cities in the U.S. and Canada dressed in many different styles of health and wealth to understand what it was like to be an 80 year old woman.
To simulate common physical impairments such as arthritis and hearing loss, she put wax in her ears, taped her fingers to make them stiff under her gloves, and taped lightweight balsa wood on her knees. To simulate vision changes, she wore glasses with the wrong prescription and rubbed baby oil in her eyes.
Once in disguise, Moore carried out errands on familiar NYC streets, rode public transportation, and went about her day. Through this immersive approach, she identified numerous issues, from inadequate urban design to societal prejudices, that influenced her work in creating more empathetic and accessible designs for older adults.
How to hack empathy (without a disguise)
For those of you who want to better understand your users but don’t have an SNL-hookup, here are some easier ways to gain insights.
Empathy Hack 1: Immersive simulations
The next best thing to being your user, is to simulate what your user is going through at the time they need your product.
Designing for older adults? Try using your product wearing sunglasses indoors to simulate reduced contrast sensitivity, a common vision change that happens with age. Or use vision impairment glasses, like the ones in the video below.
Designing for kids? Get down on their level. No, seriously. I’m always surprised by the number of public spaces designed for families don’t have a step stool in the bathrooms for kids to wash their hands.
Empathy Hack 2: Spend time with your users
You gain so much more context by being with someone in person rather than over Zoom.
- Their screen brightness and resolution
- Digital and in-person distractions
- Physical space constraints
- Workarounds a user wouldn’t necessarily mention if asked
The more time you can spend with your users, the better. And ideally switch it up. Alternate the day of week you visit and time of day to see different routines.
Empathy Hack #3: Leave your laptop at home
It’s hard to empathize with someone if there’s a screen in front of you. So when you’re with your users, leave your laptop at home. Grab a notebook and pencil. Be present. And listen more than you talk.
Empathy Hack #4: Test, test, test
And of course, test out your products with your users where and when they’ll use it. Invite others from your team to watch live or record sessions and splice together a highlight reel.
You will have a very different conversation with senior leadership if you show them a highlight reel of issues when asking for an extra week of dev time to fix bugs vs. if you just ask for it. I’ve seen it myself.
Final thoughts
Most of us aren’t building products that we rely on every day. But we owe it to our users to make them feel as if we are.
By hacking empathy using the strategies above, you can create products that truly meet the needs of older adults or whoever you’re designing for.
Until next time,
Becca
P.S. If you found this valuable, share it with a friend or colleague. Let’s spread the word about the importance of inclusive design!
