Summary of ITEC 80 HCI 1 Lesson 6 Empathize

00:00:00 - 00:40:00

This video discusses how empathy is important for designers in order to create products that will be effective for users. Empathy includes understanding the user's needs and emotions, and the designer has to be able to understand the user's perspective. The video goes on to discuss the six aspects of empathy, which build upon one another to create a more perceptive engagement with the other.

• 00:00:00 The video discusses the concept of empathy, and how it is a vital skill that can be worked on and developed throughout one's life. It emphasises the importance of observing users and their behavior in the context of their lives in order to empathize with them.
• 00:05:00 The video discusses how the designer needs to be empathetic in order to create products that will be effective for the users. They discuss how empathy is not just limited to understanding the user's needs, but also includes being able to understand the user's emotions and how they are affected by interpersonal conflict. The video goes on to talk about how the designer has a difficult time dealing with situations that do not involve them personally, and how this can often lead to physical pain. Finally, the video discusses how the designer tries to make things right again by using social blending techniques.
• 00:10:00 The video discusses the 13 characteristics of empaths. empaths are able to feel the emotions of others viscerally, can sense and identify multiple simultaneous emotions in themselves, consider the needs and feelings of others in decisions they make, often to the point of disregarding their own needs and feelings, love to watch interactions between people or animals who are unaware of them, and have an easy natural ability and one or more art forms. In an emergency, empaths are able to focus on what's important and provide assistance. empaths are often tender and protective towards others, and enjoy talking about interpersonal and social issues.
• 00:15:00 The individual in the video describes their own emotions and sensitivity to others. They explain that they often need to get away from the needs of others in order to recharge their emotional batteries. They also state that they are deeply sensitive to things like sounds, colors, textures, and smells. They explain that they are able to stay present for themselves and others in the pace of intense emotions. Finally, the individual discusses their tendency to physically peel the emotions of others in their own body.
• 00:20:00 High levels of empathy can be a double-edged sword, as they can lead to over-activation and burnout. The video provides six essential aspects of empathy, including emotion contagion.
• 00:25:00 Empathy is the ability to understand and feel the emotions of others. It is an interior skill, and international skill, and an observational skill. Empathy accuracy depends on your own emotional awareness and your capacity for emotional self-regulation. emotion regulation includes the ability to understand and regulate one's own emotions, as well as the ability to take the perspective of others and to focus on them with care and concern. Perceptive engagement is the pinnacle of empathy skill because it combines your capacity to sense and accurately identify the emotions, thoughts, and intentions of others to regulate your own emotions, to take the perspective of others, and to focus on what is best for the other person.
• 00:30:00 This video discusses the six aspects of empathy, which build upon one another to create a more perceptive engagement with the other. Emotion contagion often occurs instinctively, but the other five aspects are more intentional. When bringing the empathy mindset into your work, you need some structure. Every project goes through a cycle of development, with the think, make, and check stages represented by the think, make, and check cycle, respectively. When you create something, each project cycles around an idea you want to bring to fruition. This process brings greater depth to your brainstorming. During the think stage, you brainstorm ideas that could either become a solution or influence the solution you already have. In the make stage, all the details of developing the idea occur, even if the development is simply a sample or sketch of an idea. The check stage is when the idea gets poo and prodded by the potential and customers or commonly referred to as user research, as well as by the creators and the stakeholders. Types of business research include user research, where a solution is checked to see if it works for people who might use it, and market research, where organizations seek to understand consumer preferences and trends. Competitive research is when an organization assesses the viability in the market
• 00:35:00 The author discusses how, in order to be empathetic and effective in working with others, it is important to develop empathy and apply it in a specific way. The first step is listening and understanding, which is followed by thinking about how the person is thinking and making decisions. The last stage is to step into the person's shoes and try on their reasoning processes.
• 00:40:00 In this video, the instructor discusses empathy and how it can be used in the design process. He provides three references for further reading. Finally, the student completes an assignment in which they create a layout design for a website, mobile application, or app.