“Train Your Empathy Muscle”: A Crucial Skill in Service Design

How often have you thought of empathy as a skill which can be trained?

During the Design Thinking class, we found out that empathy is an important characteristic for a service designer to have, but it is also a quality and a tool which can be improved.

Empathy is a prolific discussion point in Design practice and academia, not without a reason. We, the service designers in training, had an opportunity to experience the importance, as well as the complexity of empathy firsthand when, in the classroom exercise, we sought to understand the needs of our pretend users and create desirable solutions for them.

In its most basic definition, Empathy in Design is a deep understanding of the user and their experience, which is key to a successful design process. However, when designers come across users that are outside their reference group, the understanding of the user experience is limited by the designer’s empathic horizon. Limited understanding creates limited solutions. Therefore, it seems that broadening the empathic horizon and training the empathetic capabilities should be one of the primary concerns for any designer.

EMPATHY: A CAPABILITY OR A PROCESS OR A TECHNIQUE?

Empathy as a Capability: Empathy is a capability that can be developed and honed over time. Through training, practice, and self-awareness, individuals can enhance their empathetic skills. In the context of service design, this involves actively working on understanding the emotions, needs, and experiences of users.

Empathy as a Process: Empathy is also a cognitive and emotional process that involves actively engaging with users and their experiences. It’s a critical step in the service design process where designers strive to see the world from the user’s perspective, understand their challenges, and feel their emotions.

Is Empathy a Technique? : While empathy is fundamental to the service design process and often informs the use of various techniques, it is not in itself a technique. Instead, it’s an overarching mindset and approach that guides the use of techniques and methods in service design.

HOW TO TRAIN EMPATHY MUSCLES

Luckily the empathic horizon can be changed over time and be extended by training and experience if the designer has willingness to develop. (Kouprie and Seeswijk Visser, 2009, 439). Based on our research and discussions, we created an inexhaustive list of suggestions on how the empathy muscle can be trained – an empathy gym program, if you will.

  • ACTIVE LISTENING: Active listening is a foundational skill for empathy. Pay close attention to what others are saying without interrupting or judging. Reflect what you hear to show that you understand and are engaged in the conversation.
  • FEEDBACK AND SELF-ASSESMENT: Provide and ask for regular feedback on empathetic behavior and encourage individuals to self-assess their empathetic responses in various situations. This can help you and them identify areas for improvement and spot biases.
  • EMPATHY-BUILDING EXERCISES: There are specific exercises designed to build empathy. For example, the “Four-Step Empathy Training” involves recognizing, understanding, expressing, and responding to others’ emotions.
  • MINDFULLNESS: practices can help you become more aware of your own emotions and, in turn, become better at recognizing and understanding the emotions of others.     
  • Compassion – willingness (not only ability) to help the user.

In the context of service innovation and design, training empathy is not just valuable; it’s essential for creating services that truly resonate with users and address their needs effectively.  It’s important to note that developing empathy is an ongoing process, and different techniques may work better for different individuals. Consistent practice and self-inquiry are key to building and strengthening empathic skills (muscle) over time.

Written by: Muhammad Mohsin, Marija Silinskiene, Niina Lambacka-Nygård

References:

Empathy Maps: Step-By-Step Guide 2nd Edition by Robert Curedale.

Marzavan, D. 2023. Design Thinking [lecture material]. Held on 8 and 9 September 2023. Laurea University of Applied Sciences. 

Kouprie and Seeswijk Visser, 2009, 439

Brown, T. 2009. Change by design: how design thinking can transform organizations and inspire innovation. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/2647087#body-6

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349329062_Understanding_Compassion_Cultivation_for_Design_Towards_an_Autoethnography_of_Tonglen

https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/27429/1/UD16_Bridging_Mindfulness_final.pdf

https://designerup.co/blog/mindful-design-and-interaction/

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    9 responses to ““Train Your Empathy Muscle”: A Crucial Skill in Service Design”

    1. elisahaikala1 Avatar
      elisahaikala1

      Great post! I found it very insightful how you compared the different perspectives on empathy – whether it’s considered as a capability, process or a technique. I think recognizing the different angles to how empathy can be perceived and trained is invaluable for design thinkers, especially as the acknowledged definition of what empathy actually is stays rather vague, as it was mentioned in the article by Kouprie and Vissler (2009). To build on top of this, I find the two components that psychological literature distinguishes – affective and cognitive component – to be quite interesting perspectives to add on the list!

      It’s an ongoing effort for one to expand the empathic horizon, so the tips on this were an interesting read – I guess a good training program will get you to lifting heavy weights in no time, both in the context of empathy as well as in the gym 😉

      Reply
    2. manisid22 Avatar
      manisid22

      Empathy is the most popular blog title. I liked your simple flow of thoughts, as you have clearly highlighted what is empathy, how can you train this as a skill, and how it relates to design thinking. I want to mention about a you tube video in another blog, which is says that “empathy feels connections” (https://youtu.be/1Evwgu369Jw). And I agree about view about how this connection can be established using active listening, feedback and self assessment, mind full ness, empathy building exercises and compassion. I do believe its easy to say but its hard to practice. Empathy is a skill required by designers which provides the right impulse, when doing a user centred design. And as Kouprie & Sleeswijk (2009) mentions in their article “if designers spend a few hours of observation and use their time, during and right after
      the observation, to go through all four phases (1. discovery, 2. immersion, 3. connection and 4. detachment) explicitly, they can enhance their empathy”.

      Reply
    3. mamatha02 Avatar
      mamatha02

      I loved the post and thoroughly enjoyed reading. It explains what’s, why’s and how’s of the term “Empathy”, most interesting was how to build our empathy by training our thoughts and we can gym – train our empathy muscle, by providing clear pointers and activities. Kouprie and Seeswijk Visser’s research used here aptly to reflect upon empathy training. Empathy truly holds great importance in Innovation and service designing. Pictorial representations are on Spot and perfect.The reflections brought into consideration while analysing the “Empathy” term were great, Where it points out that empathy can be used as capability,Method and Technique that can be developed by anyone who is intended to and interested in.

      It also makes clear that Kouprie and Seeswijk Visser research that supporting empathic approaches in designing and these can be used in other research activities, communication activities and ideation activities as well.

      Reply
    4. piritavainio Avatar
      piritavainio

      Let’s imagine an IT system you need to use once a month, and every single time it feels like the first time – leaving you scratching your head, wondering where that one functionality you needed was. Not all of us are equally empathetic, but I believe most of us can identify with this feeling. In these moments, we know that something is missing. We become the victims of lack of empathy, and it makes us frustrated, even angry.

      For some people, empathy does not come easy. But especially when designing a system for a large end-user base, empathy in design should get a lot of attention to avoid badwill and a landslide of support requests. Empathy is a crucial skill, and fortunately, we can learn and improve, regardless of the personal starting point like you suggest. The consistent practice you mentioned is indeed the key. Hopefully, the trainers in the ’empathy gym’ will also receive reinforcement through positive feedback loops for their endeavours.

      What I’ve been pondering since our Design Thinking classes is how the Design Thinking could benefit Change Adoption process in an organisation. People react differently to changes, and with the tools we’ve learnt, it could be possible to gain insights which can promote Change Adoption as well.

      Reply
    5. mahletadenew Avatar
      mahletadenew

      It is a good and descriptive blog on Empathy. It is simple to follow and is informative as well. As mentioned in the blog, Empathy takes a fair share in the design thinking process. As Tim Brown wrote in his book, since service design is human-centered, it makes empathy crucial in the process.
      If a designer desires to deliver a solution that meets a customer’s needs, he/she must have the ability to empathize. Can everyone empathize? Maybe not, but anyone can train/learn to understand what it means and how it can help the designing process. Although there are many more practices out there, You have introduced the most essential practices for training on developing empathy.

      In addition, it’s also essential to understand the difference between Empathy and sympathy. As Merlijn Kouprie and Sleeswijk Visser explained, Empathy is putting yourself in someone’s shoes to feel and understand what they are going through, while sympathy is Sharing the feeling with the person.

      Reply
    6. susannaehulkkonen Avatar
      susannaehulkkonen

      Thank you for your engaging writing! It gives a great perspective on empathy. It resonates with Tim Brown’s notion of empathy as a crucial component of the Design Thinking process. Your exploration highlights the idea that empathy is not merely an inherent trait but a skill that can be cultivated and refined over time.

      You have gathered a nice list of empathy training, thanks for that. Such lists serve as practical tools for self-assessment. I mean, I consider myself someone with a high level of empathy, but your list reminds me that these skills need occasional evaluation. It’s easy to claim empathy, but assessing its depth requires dedicated tools and mechanisms. This also holds true for theoretical learning; understanding the theories enriches practical applications in real life. And that’s why I’ve enjoyed the Design Thinking course a lot. It has challenged my thinking in many ways and taught me a bunch of new skills.

      Reply
    7. Anastasia Strelnikova Avatar
      Anastasia Strelnikova

      I like your in-depth and practice-oriented approach to empathy. You mentioned the definition of empathy as a deep understanding of users and their experiences. And I started to think about the mechanisms of such understanding.
      Empathy is an important part of various cognitive processes. It helps us to mentally model what another person is experiencing and feeling at a given moment.
      We already know that empathy and sympathy have different mechanisms, and yet they are often confused. While empathy is more of a response to the emotional needs of another person, empathy is a mechanism of perception and cognition of the world around us.
      Let me elaborate a bit more on the role of emotion and cognition in empathy.
      Generally speaking, there are two types of empathy: emotional and cognitive. Scientists believe that evolutionarily emotional empathy is older than cognitive empathy because it helped to imitate (automatically, without consciousness) the reactions of other group members. Cognitive is a higher-order form of empathy that has arisen due to social development and group complexity to improve mutual exchange and cooperation. Cognitive empathy usually takes the form of cognitive perspective-taking of another person, this is a temporary attempt to stand on the other’s person position.
      However, the emotional state of the empath does not necessarily correspond to that of the person being observed. We form a cognitive representation, mental model of another person emotional condition and experience. But we draw the dividing line between yourselfs and the other.
      Thus, empathy is not only about feelings, it works as a deliberate cognitive process, so everyone uses tools to develop it according to «an empathy gym program» 🙂
      I only can add, that active engagement with people from diverse backgrounds, viewpoints, and perspectives helps to develop empathy as well. So we’re moving in the right direction!

      Reply
      1. leocaetano Avatar
        leocaetano

        I agree entirely with the article’s focus on empathy in Design. Despite being a much-discussed skill in the area and in today’s business world, it often needs to be noticed. Still, it’s absolutely essential for creating services that genuinely meet users’ needs. The emphasis on empathy as a trainable skill and an ongoing process is correct. Active listening, feedback, and empathy-building exercises are invaluable techniques for improving this skill.

        Promoting empathy not only improves service design but also leads to more compassionate and customer-centric organizations. It’s a win-win situation where users get better services, and companies benefit from increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Empathy must be a cornerstone of any service in today’s competitive landscape, and the insights shared here provide a valuable roadmap for achieving this.

        Anastasia’s point about an “empathy gym program” is intriguing. It’s an excellent term to suggest that, like physical muscles, our capacity for empathy can be developed and strengthened with correct exercises and practices. This skill can be consciously cultivated and improved over time.

        Reply
        1. Anastasia Strelnikova Avatar
          Anastasia Strelnikova

          Leonardo, I completely agree that applying the concept of empathy results in a win-win situation for both parties. And actually, “empathy gym program” is not my invention 🙂 It’s the author’s naming, but I like it too!

          *Your comment made me re-read mine and found a semantic error, the correct wording would be: While SYMPATHY is more of a response to the emotional needs of another person, EMPATHY is a mechanism of perception and cognition of the world around us.

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