Practice Empathy
“A problem well-put is half-solved.”
—John Dewey
Design thinking isn’t just an exceptional problem solving methodology. It’s first and foremost a problem finding methodology.
And how do we find problems worth solving? Simply, we talk to other humans.
Talking to others is a fantastic way to combat apathy, one of the great enemies of creativity and innovation. Cultivating empathy for the people for whom we are designing drives passion and care.
Teams that care are much more likely to overcome the inevitable obstacles that are strewn across the path to innovation. They’re the teams that say, “This must be solved.”
Looking for tips on how to empathize? Talking to people is a skill that rewards folks far beyond journalists and best-selling authors.
Focus on emotions. Tactical and logistical data is much less interesting. Insights are fuel by emotion.
Get specific. Folks are comfortable speaking in generalities, but you’ll never learn anything interesting asking about “usually…”
Ask “why?” often. Assume you don’t understand their motives… because you don’t.
For more, check out design leader Bill Pacheco’s post.
Related: Be Obsessed
Related: Drive Innovation Through Care
Related: To Empathize, Allow Some Space
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The quality of our thinking is deeply influenced by the diversity of the inputs we collect. Implementing practices like Brian Grazer’s “Curiosity Conversations” ensures innovators are well-equipped with a variety of high-quality raw material for problem-solving.