Designing with empathy
Being a web designer is a tough job. “Oh give over!” I hear you cry, and you wouldn’t be the only one. This misconceived view is justified by the general lack of understanding as to exactly what a web designer does.
Okay, being a good web designer is a tough job – but so is being a good barrister, doctor, teacher or engineer etc. The difference is that in the latter instances this is widely acknowledged based on the fact that professions of this nature have been around for a while. But due to the short lifespan of the Internet and it’s architects, coupled with the all too common ‘anyone-can-do-it’ mentality that is attached to the term ‘web design’; true web designers are rarely afforded the respect we deserve (yes, I’m considering myself a good web designer. A little bit of ego won’t hurt, will it?).
I’m not soliciting sympathy, I simply wish to raise awareness that designing for the web requires so much more than a knowledge of HTML and a copy of Photoshop. Depending on which side of the playing field you’ve approached from, development and functionality may hold precedence whereas those from a more traditional print design background rather fancy a more aesthetic approach. Then there’s fussy usability and accessibility wizards in the middle.
Standing out from the pack
The fact today is that with so many so-called designers and developers cramming into the industry, actually getting ahead of the pack and standing out as a skilled professional requires generalisation as well as specialisation. It’s not enough just to be able to code “bad-ass” HTML quickly or whip up sexy designs in Photoshop. A good web designer has to understand how websites are built, how they are used, on which devices and platforms, how they affect and interact with the end user.
Aside from a wider knowledge of the different areas of web and interactive design and development, a core, fundamental and essential ability of a great designer is the ability to empathise with the end users, the people you are designing for. Because they are what matters.
The trouble is that websites are supposed to deliver an experience, normally whilst promoting a brand or product. Therefore to do this successfully a website must be 3 things – attractive, usable and functional, thus it must look good, be easy to use and provide a service or end result. To handle all that by yourself is quite a task, hence the reason why the full website creation process is normally handled by a team of people. However, to rise to the top of the pack it helps to have a broad understanding of all the many criteria that make a ‘good’ website.
How to empathise
Simple, I couldn’t give an easier piece of advice:
Stop. Listen. Learn. Watch. Open your mind. Read. Research. Ask questions. Ask for critcism and don’t ignore it when it’s given to you. Try to look at every challenge from a different perspective.
OK, I can throw out plenty of verbs. Great, how does that really help?
Sometimes, empathising and putting yourself in the place of the people you’re designing for is just a state of mind, somtimes it’s born out of experience and sometimes it requires some additional learning to get comfortable with.
When designing for any project, for any purpose or userbase, but especially for an end user group you’re not familiar with (for example, in my case – model boat sailors) – conducting design research is the best method of gathering and consoldiating information to help you empathise with different people. Because don’t forget – you’re designing for people.
Overcoming your ego
I design pretty much everyday. Perhaps not always in Photoshop or with a pencil and paper but in some way or another I’m usually in front of a computer working on website design work. I’ve been doing this for not far off 3 years now (eesh I can’t believe it’s been that long!), so I like to think I have an idea of what I’m doing! Does this mean I should dictate all my designwork and not listen to the people who will ultimately be interacting with it?
It seems a stupid question, I know. But it’s true that a lot of the time, we designers think we know best. Ignoring or failing to even consider what our end users feel and think makes us bad designers.
Get over your ego, you’re not right all the time (unless the client requests an obscene scrolling, flashing ad banner across the width of their header to obtain a bit of extra revenue… then it’s time to put your foot down!).
Care a little more…
This post was just a musing. A quick run through some ideas in my head, but as usual a lot of the inspiration and ideas come from the minds of others as well. For more information on ‘Designing with Empathy’, user testing and design research, check out some of the following:
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Craig - Abrishca Digital Media said:
I believe that this is certainly an element that every web designer (and even web developer) needs to consider at some point. It may not come easy at first, but in time you should gain enough confidence to not express your own bias too much in your designs. Thanks for getting me thinking!
Craig
Dainis Graveris said:
Really good tips and ideas You described here. However I am more inspiring, fast idea human and I believe music and nature can be the best inspiration.
Reading 3 « Kylatom’s Blog said:
[...] http://www.redswish.co.uk/designing-with-empathy/ this article talks more in depth about empathy and how one can create it in web design. [...]
Roger Lewis said:
nice post, this has some great stuff in it. I like the fact that people should be happy with what they are doing and stop worrying about whether its getting too crowded or how hard of a time they are having. life is too short to be doing something you don’t like.
Cr8tive said:
read the post… it was really nice…keeep up such good posts
Games said:
Dolly Parton once said ‘It takes a lot of money to look this cheap’. Design is in a similar category except it takes a lot of time and effort to make something look simple and effective. I spend a lot of time in thinking about what the end user would want/expect when designing pages. How can I present the information so it’s better? How can I simpilify the whole experience? It’s not easy. Respect to those who are good at it.
aroopk said:
I really respect good web designers a lot. I think it takes a lot of creativity, much more than professions u listed to be a good web designer
Hermelinda C. Despain said:
Hi nice post, i have come across your site once before when searching for something so i was just wondering something. I love your theme, would it happen to be a free one i can download, or is it a custom one you had made? In a few weeks i will be launching my own site, i’m not great with designs but i really like the style of your site so it would be cool if i could find (or pay for) something with a similar look.
Thanks!
Jenny Pilley said:
Creativity is such a hit and miss thing it takes real skill to be able to reproduce a design without it being the same as all the others. Originality is what makes a great web designer as well as the skill to ensure it is what the customer wants.
As a content writer I have experienced the same attitude of ‘Oh Give over’ when I was studying and finding it tough to produce work on a weekly basis. I think people who haven’t tried being creative don’t understand the process and complexity of writing, designing by producing something from barely anything.
pixeldope said:
Great..the article is nice…thanks for sharing
Mal said:
You gotta stand in the clients shoes for a while and identify with their viewpoint. Then look at top 10 sites for creative juice if you need a kick start. Something will pop into your mind.