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This diagram attempts to highlight the simplistic ways the audience is considered, and conventional strategy may not work. By examinging the audience closer, we see that there are many things which makes the audience, and as a communication designer, we need to take those things into account and re-evaluate the way we communicate to them.

So much of graphic design celebrates individuals who prove how visually creative they are. It’s as if ‘creativity’ is the mandate that allows designers to prove how important they are. Common complaints revolve around how clients failed to see it the designers way and how encumbering they could be… enough already (whinging)!

The Importance of Empathy: A Significant Feature of the Mindset of Successful People Part II

“Empathic people are skilled in placing themselves inside the shoes of another person and seeing the world through that person’s eyes. It is not surprising that Daniel Goleman listed empathy as one of the main components of emotional intelligence.”

In this article, it says that the author had noted… “people who are empathetic have developed a mindset that asks, “In anything I say or do, am I saying or doing it in a way which other people will be most responsive to listening to me?” – a concern that we want others to appreciate what we are communicating if we want others to respond to and work cooperatively with us. It recognises that we must consider their perspective and how they perceive us.”

I feel this is the mental shift needed to be better at communication, and the urgency for designers to respond or trained in this way if they truly are COMMUNICATION designers.

What if these empathetic thinking responses were woven in the way we interview prospective students? What kind of course would we build? How significant would the contribution of the profession be in society?
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So You Want To Be An Interaction Designer

Usability research is tremendously important, but it isn’t design. It identifies problems, but doesn’t (except at the most detailed level) suggest solutions. Can you envision and refine broad and detailed solutions, or are you more comfortable extracting facts from known situations? If the latter, then usability may be a better focus for your interests.

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The discussions I’m observing on the 1st year student forum board in response to the exercise seems to pivot around the tension between genuine and imaginative, which might be a good summary of the activity of a designer. It’s like walking along a tight-rope, constantly balancing between the effectiveness of a design based on proof or the leap that could be made to the unknown. Again, these are not mutually exclusive – however, I am encouraged to see the methods applied in class extending itself into student’s understanding of this tension in recognising the shortfalls to their ‘characters’ and the knowledge they have of them. The empathetic thinking is truly a creative and imaginative tool that generates ideas, and applies well to a designers nature. What I had not expected was the thought provoking questions that spurred from this – the relevance, the concerns, the assumptions, the generalisations etc, and for that alone, it has been an invaluable exercise.

Discussing other matters with Ian and Roz from QUT today (fill in their specifics later), Ian mentioned serendipitious design in response to a comment I made about the social functions of water coolers and photocopiers that extend beyond their intended use. He identified the gap that exists between the UCD driven design models, and the ethnographic driven design models that are based on observation and analysis, and the serendipitious designs Ian talks of sounds not too dissimilar to what Keith and Stuart talks of…
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Anthony Morello, 1st Year’s student’s post on forum board.

RMIT Communication Design – S&C : WEEK SIX : Project One : Empathetic Think

Adopting the mindset of the user from last week, in which I chose a 9-year-old girl. I then got in contact with my 8-year-old cousin who is almost turning 9 and asked her a few questions.
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http://www.cmu.edu/cfa/design/programs/past_thesis/MDes02_essay.html#Lisa

Understanding Users: The Role of Empathy in Design Research
Lisa Villemure

“The goal of this thesis is to demonstrate the value of empathy in understanding users in design. As designers, if we are able to empathize with the people for whom we create products, we will have a better understanding of their needs, desires, and values. This understanding enhances our ability to make products that are meaningful and enjoyable. I describe two ways of empathizing with another individual, cognitively (intellectually) and affectively (emotionally). Both can be used to gain a better understanding of a community of users.

By developing an understanding of the research methods used in other disciplines, such as Anthropology, Photography, Acting, and Architecture, I attempt to provide suggestions for improving the use of research methods in design. I have found that the methods currently employed within design tend to be more cognitively than affectively empathic. I have, therefore, begun to identify a combination of methods that can be used to facilitate both cognitive and affective empathy. Among all methods, I have also found that some are more useful in situations where the designer needs to empathize directly with an audience, and others are more useful in situations where the designer must communicate their empathic understanding of an audience to other members of the product development team.”
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I had found an interesting conversation on this site:
CHI-WEB archives — November 1999, week 2 (#44)
“One of the reasons I like working with great designers or usability
professionals is because their empathy extends beyond their work. Good
designers (and good people) have a genuine concern for others, be it
users, coworkers or strangers.”
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29th July 2004

What I thought was particularly interesting with Denise’s work and her as a designer, was that she seemed to have battles with her clients but argue passionately on behalf of the audience, often going to great lengths to defend the integrity of the designs based on the knowledge and intuitive understanding she had of them. Lisa had also observed that there is very little tension between her personal design passions to the decisions she would make in terms of the message and communication to the audience, and her position seems clear that they are not mutually exclusive.
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On 9th August, we did an exercise with the 1st years in getting them to really think about their audience. The exercise sheet I passed around looks as follows:

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