Is User Centered Design dead?

“Empathy, at best, only provides a third person perspective of our users, and that is not enough anymore.”

The user-centric design methodology which has been so well documented over the years, we all know off heart by now, and have been utilized throughout our processes and projects, is centered around empathy. How else, in today’s world, will we be able to understand, share the feelings of, and design for the user? Empathy was and still is the best way, right?

The devaluation of empathetical design

Empathy allows the empathizer to jump into the shoes of the subject. To see what they’re seeing, and re-actively experience what they’re experiencing, at a specific moment in time and point of interaction, with a product or service. This empathy, in itself, is therefore an objective approach. An assumption, and logic-based analysis. Empathy then, at best, only provides a third person perspective into our users or subjects. So, why is this not enough anymore?

Studies have shown that, through the COVID-19 pandemic, the accompanying regulations, and isolation during the past two years, psychological well-being is at a record low, with mental fatigue and depression at an all-time high. Taking this into account, it is important to remember, that human beings, by nature, react emotionally and adapt accordingly. We as people, users, and consumers, changed. Our reasoning and decision-making processes, influenced by our emotional well-being, adapted.

A quote by Okakura Kakuzo brings this to light:

“The art of life lies in the constant readjustment to our surroundings.”

This is where compassion takes the stage.

The revaluation of Compassionate design

In comparison to empathy, compassion aims to instill a physiological, emotional, and mental relation with the subject or user, before, during, and after an interaction, with a product, service,e and experience. To actively, rather than re-actively, try and feel what they’re feeling, experience what they’re experiencing, and try to understand why they behave the way they do, given their personal situation and mental state.

Unlike empathy, which is objective, compassion is personal and subjective. Compassionate design is a functional analysis, based on situational, conditional awareness, and interpretation.

The COVID pandemic has literally affected the world as we know it. In all industries, and all walks of life, the way we go about our daily lives, what we do, how we do, and why we do, has changed. Isn’t it then more important to focus on compassion, rather than empathy? I most definitely think so.

In conclusion

Look, I’m not saying that we should completely disregard empathy as a way of getting to understand who we’re designing for, not at all! What I'm trying to convey, is that our “user-centric design” approach should change. It's time to re-evaluate, adapt, and be more inclusive of the subjective changes rather than the objective constants. The focus should shift from user-centered, to human-centered. We simply can’t, anymore, only rely on the empathetic, objective, and logical approach. The user’s emotional and psychological state, before, during, and after any interaction with a service or product, has to be prioritized. We must focus on the human we’re designing for, and not the user.

Based on a survey from McKinsey & Company (https://mck.co/3AfeBNU), they found that responses to COVID-19 have speeded the adoption of digital technologies by several years – and that many of these changes could be here for the long haul. This abrupt and sudden change in user behaviour, as a result of psychological adaption, has an enormous impact on all industries.

Again:
Empathy = User-focused, re-active, objective, assumption-based.
Compassion = Human focussed, active, subjective, functional-based.

Empathy is not dead! Never will be! But the focus should shift to compassion, incorporating empathy, and not the other way around!

The very nature of user centered design, lies in the fact that the approach should be elastic, scalable, and ever susceptible to change. So, lets change our approach in defining who we’re designing for.