What Happened to Empathic Design?

Mattelmäki, Tuuli; Vaajakallio, Kirsikka; Koskinen, Ilpo

doi:10.1162/desi_a_00249

Cited by 132 publications

(123 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…in ergonomics [30], HCI [38], participatory design [19], product design [28], design research [22]). Dandavate et al even go so far to say that the success of products will depend upon the degree to which researchers and practitioners learn how to empathize with the product users early in the development process [8].…”

Section: Empathy and Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Online Reviews as Narratives to Evoke Designer’s Empathy

Grünloh

Walldius

Hartmann

et al. 2015

Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2015

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Section: Empathy and Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Online Reviews as Narratives to Evoke Designer’s Empathy

Grünloh

Walldius

Hartmann

et al. 2015

Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2015

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“…While observation has been one of the key methods for understanding users in context, the array of methods is wide, and collaborative approaches with an empathic twist are gaining ground (Mattelmäki, Vaajakallio & Koskinen 2014). Having a shared ground with ethnography, empathic design methods carry future-oriented and design-led approaches 5.2 within them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this process, users are seen as experts of their experiences and partners in building a creative understanding of their experiences, as well as envisioning future design opportunities (Postma, Lauche & Stappers 2009;Sanders & Dandavate 1999;Sleeswijk Visser et al 2005). Empathic design has also evolved towards co-design, providing tools and mindsets for diverse experts, in addition to users, to come together and collaborate creatively (Mattelmäki, Vaajakallio & Koskinen 2014). In this way, co-design processes support people with no design training to have an empathic understanding of current situations and create ideas for the future.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The True Benefits of Designing Design Methods

Lee

2014

Artifact

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This paper calls for a new way of understanding and using methods in human-centred design. Design researchers have recently been active in developing new types of methods aimed at greatly improving their empathic understanding of people's holistic experience, and their design imagination. The strong motivation for a new methodology stems from critical reflection on scientific rationalisation of human-centred design, which attempts to pin down the design process and develop abstract user models. Despite this motivation, the design community has shown a tendency to use a conventional, scientific rationalisation when applying a stream of new design methods. In this paper, I analyse misinterpretations of the new design methods, which I call 'empathic design methods', and seek a more constructive way of understanding and describing how they actually work, going beyond 'methodrecipe' convention. By analysing design students' learning diaries, I investigate what learning is going on in method-making processes and demonstrate how those processes help design students to gather contextual knowledge of a design project and to develop their empathic understanding of users.

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“…The focus includes individual desires, moods, and emotions of the inhabitants that inspire and guide the project. Recent studies on Empathic Design suggest an emphasis on sensitivity [35]. The sensitivity approach in empathic design enables flexibility and adjustment to the prevailing situation and is crucial in the context of rapid urbanization-the scene for this study.…”

Section: Empathic Design As a Support For Social And Cultural Sustainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Empathic Design as a Tool for Urban Sustainability in Low-Resource Settings

2018

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Abstract:Architectural design plays a crucial role in sustainable city development. In fast-growing cities in developing countries, it can be a challenge to reach sustainable results. In this paper, we propose the use of Empathic Design, borrowed from the human-centered design field, as one means to support the work of architects and other stakeholders in these settings. To investigate aspects in which this method could be helpful, we have synthesized two existing sustainability models and applied them to three examples of affordable housing from different low-resource settings. After analysis of the examples, we propose a model with an equal balance between the four different dimensions of sustainability-environmental, economic, social, and cultural-where the aspects that need inhabitant engagement are highlighted. We argue that, to be able to hold the balance between the diverse dimensions of sustainability, the architect needs to understand in-depth the living conditions of people for whom he or she is designing. This calls for a fine-tuned participatory approach when designing in low-resource settings. It may not always be easy to reach this level of participation, but we propose that it can be achieved when the architecture is created through empathic involvement. The use of Empathic Design methods throughout the design process thus supports the endeavor towards sustainable results.

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What Happened to Empathic Design?

Cited by 132 publications

References 6 publications

Using Online Reviews as Narratives to Evoke Designer’s Empathy

Using Online Reviews as Narratives to Evoke Designer’s Empathy

The True Benefits of Designing Design Methods

Using Empathic Design as a Tool for Urban Sustainability in Low-Resource Settings

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