empathize

define

ideate

prototype

test

mindful of process: focus vs. flare

what are some of your user’s needs?

human emotional and physical necessities

the goals, motivations and emotions of your user

they are verbs, not nouns

what are insights?

why do you think this user has this need?

what’s beneath this need?

why do you think this user has this need in this context?

what do you see that your user doesn’t?

How to set up a POV

(Name) plus some important definitive descriptors…

needs a way to (Verb)…

Unexpectedly, in his/her world (Insight)…

Take a stand specifically stating the meaningful challenge that you want to take on.

Does it feel like a problem worth tackling?

Make it juicy, make it actionable, because it's the problem you're going to tackle with your design.

why are we doing this…

What’s the POV for?

• Create a shared understanding of why this user matters to your team

• Who they are and why they’re actually interesting

• You can ditch some practical detail and keep the psychological detail – be faithful to the spirit of your user

An NBC Bay Area Example

We met Myra, an 89 year old firecracker with a lifestyle that rivals that of a 30 year old. 

We were amazed to realize that our inspiration for reimagining the digital experience could be bolstered by someone so removed from our assumed target audience. 

It would be a game changer if we could create something that inspired her to overcome her perception of the online experience as daunting… and offered her a sense of willingness to trust and embrace the medium as useful and valuable.

your goal…

Set up a succinct statement…

Be sure it distills your findings into an actionable problem statement.

Be sure it identifies your user, a worthy need to address, and insights that you can leverage.

unpack your empathy work

GET STARTED!!!