A Lesson in Empathy Video

A Lesson in Empathy

Empathy is at the heart of design. Without the understanding of what others see, feel, and experience, design is a pointless task. When communicated as it is in this video, empathy can be truly inspirational. What the Cleveland Clinic movie reveals is the true scale and complexity of the challenge of understanding a complex social situation in order to design a system that supports many and various needs. Think of this movie as a design brief. How would you design a hospital or health care system that helps and supports each of the people and their circumstances that you see here? How would you change the space, the roles that staff play, the type and manner in which patients receive information, the support systems around patients and staff? How do you go about being inspired by empathy?

DD+D Featured in Steve Portigal's New Book Interviewing Users

DD+D' s theatre-based Design Empathy workshop is referenced as a "Tip - work it out" is Steve Portigal's new book  Interviewing Users published by Rosenfeld.
Chapter two of this useful book (where you'll find DD+D p,16) talks about the importance of empathy and interviewing. Stressing the need for design researchers to check-in with their own biases and assumptions before hitting the field.
This marks the second time that DD+D's work has been referenced in a book. The first being "Outside In" published by Forrester Research

About the Book:

Interviewing is a foundational user research tool that people assume they already possess. Everyone can ask questions, right? Unfortunately, that's not the case. Interviewing Users provides invaluable interviewing techniques and tools that enable you to conduct informative interviews with anyone. You'll move from simply gathering data to uncovering powerful insights about people.

Interviewing Users will explain how to succeed with interviewing, including:

• Embracing how other people see the world
• Building rapport to create engaging and exciting interactions
• Listening in order to build rapport.

With this book, Steve Portigal uses stories and examples from his 15 years of experience to show how interviewing can be incorporated into the design process, helping you learn the best and right information to inform and inspire your design.

"Strong Verbal Communication Skills A Must" - for IxDA Chicago

DD+D had the pleasure of offering it's verbal communication skills workshop for designers for May's  IxDA Chicago meeting.
Here are the details below including participant comments, pictures, and a link to registration 


Workshop description:

This interactive workshop will apply theatre and improv techniques to help designers improve their verbal and nonverbal communication skills. The ability to present a design solution and communicate its merits on different levels in a way that is understood by different audiences can be a differentiator in the fast-changing and highly competitive industries in which design operates.  This small group session will allow for individual assessment and feedback. 20 participant limit. 

Participants are asked to prepare a 2 mins. talk on a design related /work related topic please. For additional info contact byron@dramaticdiversity.com 

Wednesday May 15th. 2013, 5:30pm – 8:00pm

Location
Leo Burnett 
35 W.Wacker Dr.
Blue Room 31st. Fl.
Chicago, IL. 60601

Fee - $20 Non-refundable


Instructor : Byron Stewart


Participant Comments:
"A great deal of good material was covered in a short time."
"Some great take aways"
"This could easily have been an all-day seminar"
"The active participation makes the tools immediately relevant and meaningful. I learned a lot from my fellow students a well."
"You are a great presenter!"
"The instructor provided clear critique and examples."
"Thought it was nice to refresh/polish my presentation skills."