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Introduction

Empathy interviews, also called user interviews, are a mechanism to capture insights to learn more about how a user or group of users feels, what they need, and what they've experienced. The goal of empathy interviews is to get a clear picture of how the user thinks, feels, and acts by asking open-ended questions and paying close attention to their answers.

Empathy Interview

The empathy interview technique is also known by a number of other names, including user interview, understanding needs, persona interview and discovery interview.

Description

What is this technique about

Empathy interviews are important in understanding a person’s behaviour and choices so that you can learn about their needs and wants and design to incorporate them. There are usually three roles in an interview—the interviewer who asks the questions, the interviewee who answers them, and the notetaker who records everything that happens. The notetaker ensures that the interviewer can entirely focus on the interviewee. However, if there’s no notetaker, interviewers can record the interview or take notes themselves.

For which purposes is it used

• To understand the needs and perspectives of users: Empathy interviews are used to gain a deep understanding of the experiences, emotions, and needs of users or customers. By understanding users' needs, pain points, and frustrations, participants can create a solution that better meets users' needs.
• To develop empathy and understanding: Empathy interviews help participants to develop empathy and understanding of users' experiences and perspectives. By empathising with users, participants can create an inclusive solution that better aligns with users' values, beliefs, and goals.

Limitations

• N/A

How to implement these technique/tools

Make sure the students have any material to take notes. For online, any document-sharing application is good. For example, Google Docs and Notepad

Preparation, before the session:

• Define the target audience or user group for the empathy interviews, based on the problem or opportunity being explored.
• Identify potential interviewees who represent the target audience or user group and invite them to participate in the empathy interviews.
• Prepare interview questions that focus on understanding the interviewee's needs, behaviours, and attitudes related to the problem or opportunity being explored.

During the session:

• Start the interview by introducing yourself and building rapport with the interviewee. Show interest in their experiences and perspectives and make them comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings with you.
• Ask open-ended questions, encouraging interviewees to share their experiences, emotions, and needs. Avoid asking leading questions or questions that can be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no.' Listen carefully to their responses and ask follow-up questions to clarify or expand their answers. Some sample questions: 1. What is the problem? Why is it a problem? 2. Who has the problem? Who has a need? 3. When and where does the problem occur? 4. How is it solved today?
• Practice active listening by paying close attention to the interviewee's nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions and body language. Show empathy and understanding by acknowledging their feelings and experiences.
• Record notes during the interview to capture important insights and observations. Write down key quotes, themes, and ideas that emerge during the interview. Use a notebook or digital tool to organise your notes for later analysis.

Follow-up about what to do after the session:

• After the exercise is finished, share the insights with the students and engage them in a group discussion to reflect on what they have learned and brainstorm potential solutions or opportunities based on the insights gained using an empathy map. Use the insights gained from the empathy interviews to inform the next steps of the process, such as ideation, prototyping, and testing.

Examples and/or testimonials

The video presents an empathy interview. The interviewer asks questions to the interviewee after briefly introducing himself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq3OiHQ-HCU 

Tools needed

To apply the Empathy Interview technique, you might need:

1. Materials: Laptop, Internet connection or Pen and paper
2. Research tools: Surveys and Interview questions
3. Online tools: Whiteboard, sticky notes
4. Design thinking template: Problem Statement Template

Resources

Links:

• Empathy Interview:

https://designmuseumfoundation.org/empathy-interviews/

• How to conduct empathy interviews:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-conduct-empathy-interviews-taylor-birchall/?trk=public_profile_article_view

• What is the design thinking process? (sympathy vs empathy part)

https://openpress.universityofgalway.ie/designingthedigitalworld/chapter/chapter-1/

Papers:

• From Design Thinking to Art Thinking with an Open Innovation Perspective—A Case Study of How Art Thinking Rescued a Cultural Institution in Dublin: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/joitmc4040057
• Brown, T. (2008). Design thinking. Harvard business review, 86(6), 84.
• Dym, C. L., Agogino, A. M., Eris, O., Frey, D. D., & Leifer, L. J. (2005). Engineering design thinking, teaching, and learning. Journal of engineering education, 94(1), 103-120.

Books:

• Plattner, H., Meinel, C., & Leifer, L. (Eds.). (2010). Design thinking: understand–improve–apply. Springer Science & Business Media.
• Cross, N. (2023). Design thinking: Understanding how designers think and work. Bloomsbury Publishing.
• Plattner, H., Meinel, C., & Leifer, L. (Eds.). (2014). Design thinking research: Building innovators. Springer.

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