I often see other designers wanting to use the coolest thing, the latest technology, or focus solely on the appearance of the design to determine if their design is a great design. In fact a few years ago I thought like this; however, the way to design the best product is with empathy.

Once I started to incorporate empathy into my design process there was a noticeable improvement in my work. One of the things I that drastically changed when I started using empathy is I was able to design the right thing every time. Clients were far happier with the results and I was too. In addition to that designing with empathy allows me to get into a psychological approach to the design process,which sparks my creative energy.

Now that empathy is established as a source to great design, how do you use empathy? How do you understand the feelings of your client?

To do this ask yourself some critical questions. Even if you are the client, it’s best to ask yourself these thoughtful questions.

There are two main questions you need to ask.

1. Who is the owner?
2. Who is the audience?

The next questions.

1. What features are important to me as the owner? (this goes with question 1)
2. What features are important to me as a user? (this goes with question 2)

It’s important you decide the answers for the two above questions.

Example Q & A

This is for a portfolio site

1. Who is the owner? — The Artist
2. What features are important to me? — Showcase work, Clients being able to contact artist, Personality
3. Who is the audience? — Potential Clients that will hire the Artist
4. What features are important to me? — Samples of Work, Contact, Testimonials, ROI

Notice how the features for the owner and the audience are nearly the same. This is a really great thing. In an ideal situation, both will be the same. That means the Artist and the Clients (stakeholders) are aligned in their needs.