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I believe when the world starts working together then we will see results that are better for the environment and better for human wellbeing. The role of empathy in good project outcomes stems from team synergy and the understanding of users, leading to more innovation.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, empathy is:
‘the ability to share someone else’s feeling or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person’s situation.’ 1
In psychology terms, empathy is talked about as either emotional empathy (also known as adaptive empathy) or cognitive empathy. My simplified understanding is that emotional empathy is the ability to feel what others feel, while cognitive empathy is the ability to imagine being in another person’s situation. Cognitive empathy is something that can be learned at least in part as an adult.2
For more background on why empathy is important and how it helps in work and private life, check out this google talk featuring Roman Krznaric author of Empathy – why it matters and how to get it.
For designers, I see at least two benefits to improving empathic skills:
- By better relating to your project team through setting common project goals, you will be able to reach decisions faster and avoid expensive redesign work
- When imagining user experiences, innovation will improve creating better project outcomes
Understanding your colleagues and project teams
The role of empathy in good project outcomes
I have observed at least two sides to building empathy with colleagues and project teams:
- understanding the professional discipline that each project member represents
- understanding people personally and what they believe in and therefore what that brings to their project contribution
Understand the roles of others
Project teams are compiled from many different disciplines and each one brings a different outlook and set of goals to the table. On a construction project, for example:
- the Architect designs for the human experience
- the structural engineer ensures the building doesn’t fall down
- the cost manager or quantity surveyor makes sure the project meets the budget
- the landscape architect integrates the project with the surrounding landscape systems as well as considering the external human experience
- the ecologist enhances and protects habitat for plants and animals
- and there are so many more possible roles
You can see that each person has a focus. With little understanding of what others are trying to achieve, there may be wrong compromises made or too little progress. I have found that when a team is contributing value together to create something with a relatable purpose then quality improves. This is through innovation, fresh and positive mindsets and delivery of holistic outcomes.
I think that each person involved in multidisciplinary projects has the responsibility to learn the high-level goals of each discipline. Understanding other disciplines is a mindset that can be shaped from the beginning of your career to help with successful project management skills and influence in the future.
Take Action
- Talk to your project team
- Ask questions and get to know what is driving their recommendations
Always be curious!
Work together to generate shared project goals
A good project starts with really good projects goals. By understanding your team and end-users through empathy, project goal setting will be more effective. Project briefs are often written to solve a specific issue but may not address the full potential of that project. I suggest taking the following steps:
- challenge the brief as a team
- work together to brainstorm opportunities
- define and record really clear objectives and a vision statement
These objectives can be used to help make decisions about where time and money is spent, thereby avoiding costly rework later. Workshops are a great forum for this.
When at the beginning of your career you are probably not in the position to manage project teams and influence project management and objective setting, however, I wanted to let you know how a well-run project starts. This will enable you to ask the right questions (see actions below).
There were times in my 10 years of practice when I saw projects lacking quality, or where the design was reworked late in the programme to save cost. In the process, all the valuable parts were sacrificed. These projects almost always lacked clarity of vision. When every person in the project is invested in common goals, then the innovations to save cost will consider those goals.
Purpose
A survey of 474 company executives undertaken by Harvard Business Review and sponsored by EY Beacon Institute showed that companies driven by purpose are better able to innovate and transform. Strategic purpose was also connected to faster growth and better performance.3
Also, people driven by purpose have greater health and well-being including a higher likelihood of seeking preventative healthcare measures, longer life expectancy and reduced risk of disease.4
I believe purpose can be applied at a project level too by setting project goals fuelled by a common team purpose or vision statement. If you are interested in purpose and finding meaning then check out this book:
This book by Emily Esfahani Smith explores meaning and how to find it. It will speak to those of you seeking a life that matters.
Take Action
- Provide input or ideas to workshop planning at the start of your next project
- Ask the team if you can see the project vision statement and objectives of all projects you are working on
- Make sure you understand the drivers and purpose behind the work you are doing
Imagine User Experiences
The role of empathy in good project outcomes
If you can imagine how your design work affects users of all walks of life, then you will be able to design a product that is far better suited to its purpose.
I remember when I first became a mother, experiencing public parks and cities in a new way because suddenly I was having to push a pram everywhere. It then became very obvious when the ground was uneven (and at risk of waking my sleeping baby) or when there was no pram ramp to navigate road kerbs.
If you can find a way to empathise with those that are different from you, then your solutions will be better suited for end-users and therefore more innovative.
Take Action
- Get out into the world and experience what you are designing as a user
- Imagine yourself as a different user and how that experience might be compared to what you know
Resources to Improve Empathy
Roman Krznaric’s book goes into six different habits for empathy. I found the book to be inspiring, aligned with my beliefs and full of great actionable content.
Also, check out Empathy Museum https://www.empathymuseum.com/. There are some interesting stories in the exhibition ‘From where I’m Standing’ by people with different life experiences and viewpoints to help you better understand humanity.
I have always thought of myself as a highly empathetic person but each new experience or perspective gained through listening, reading, travelling, challenging myself, or motherhood has shown there is always more to understand. Learning adds complexity or richness to the understanding of others. This includes their fears and life experiences, and their outlook and perspectives. Becoming a well-read person that seeks out experiences helps build perspective which then compliments all aspects of life.
Start reading and experiencing today to grow your empathic skills for good project outcomes. This is a life-long journey and the more you know about and feel what others feel, the better you can design and influence.
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- Cambridge Dictionary (n.d.). Empathy. In Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 14 March, 2022
- Empathy. (2022, March 25). In Wikipedia.
- Harvard Business Review, (2015). A Harvard Business Review Analytic Services Report: The Business Case For Purpose. Harvard Business Review.
- Kim, E.,Strecher. V. J., & Ryff, C. D. (2014).Purpose in life and use of preventive health care services. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(46), 16331–16336.
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