SIGIA-L Mail Archives: Re: SIGIA-L: empathy [was: What do IAs n
Re: SIGIA-L: empathy [was: What do IAs need to know?]
From: Andrew Hinton (ahinton_at_symetri.com)
Date: Mon Feb 19 2001 - 00:51:30 EST
Sigh, I already replied to this thread before I realized it had changed
names on me, so I'll just ref. my earlier post and move on... yeah, my
thoughts square with Peter's here as well...
just one point of clarification: I don't think anyone ever meant to say that
empathy somehow stands in place of research. Hell, empathy can't exist
without experience, without context.
I don't think we're talking about empathy as some kind of new-age design by
group hug. And I also think it's possible to be both empathetic and
clinically detached. Empathy can be a tool just like anything else.
-- drew
Here's what Peter Merholz at peterme_at_peterme.com said on 2/15/01 5:27 PM:
> I think it's clear empathy is important.
>
> Now, empathy isn't a substitute for user research, and I hope no one would
> suggest that it could be.
>
> However, I think empathy is *imperative* in being able to turn that user
> research into a successful design. To be able to 'get in the head' of the
> other person, see the world how she does, and design a system to accommodate
> that perception. I find, when I'm at my best facilitating or observing user
> tests, that I have no trouble understanding what is hanging up the
> subject--it's clear as day, even if it's something I designed that, to me at
> the time, was perfectly obvious.
>
> Anyway, my point is it's the combination that makes for the most successful
> designers.
>
> --peter
>
--
:: s y m e t r i ::
. andrew hinton . information architecture, bureau director
. w|336.819.6914 m|336.253.5399 . ahinton_at_symetri.com
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