Measuring designers’ empathic understanding of users by a Quick Empathic Accuracy (QEA)

Jie Li; Antti Surma-Aho; Katja Hölttä-Otto

doi:10.1115/DETC2021-69407

Measuring designers’ empathic understanding of users by a Quick Empathic Accuracy (QEA)

Jie Li^*
, Antti Surma-Aho
, Katja Hölttä-Otto

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Energy and Mechanical Engineering

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference article in proceedings › Scientific › peer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Empathy is an essential ability for designers to step into users’ shoes and potentially discover their latent needs. However, although empathy helps designers to better understand users, the degree to which designers can actually understand them remains unclear. Consequently, it is essential to measure the accuracy of designers’ empathic understanding. In our previous work, we have adopted an experimental procedure from psychology to quantify designers’ empathic accuracy. However, the measure as such is time-consuming. Therefore, we attempted to shorten the experimental time while retaining the validity of the measure. This paper reports on the process of shortening the measure and compares the original instrument with the shortened one. The data collected from the shortened instrument shows excellent internal consistency and between subject variance and is able to produce similar results to the original longer measure.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	33rd International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology (DTM)
Publisher	American Society of Mechanical Engineers
ISBN (Electronic)	978-0-7918-8542-0
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1115/DETC2021-69407
Publication status	Published - 2021
MoE publication type	A4 Conference publication
Event	ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference - Virtual, Online Duration: 17 Aug 2021 → 19 Aug 2021 Conference number: 18

Publication series

Name	Proceedings of the ASME Design Engineering Technical Conference
Volume	6

Conference

Conference	ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
Abbreviated title	IDETC/CIE
City	Virtual, Online
Period	17/08/2021 → 19/08/2021

Funding

This work is supported by CSC (Chinese Scholarship Council), the “Future Makers” grant of the Technology Industries of Finland Centennial Foundation and Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation. We also wish to thank Professor Kari Tammi, Álvaro M. Chang-Arana, Xiaoqi Feng and all the participants for their help.

Keywords

Development
Empathic accuracy
Empathy
Empathy measurement
Product design
User understanding

Access to Document

10.1115/DETC2021-69407

Cite this

Li, J., Surma-Aho, A., & Hölttä-Otto, K. (2021). Measuring designers’ empathic understanding of users by a Quick Empathic Accuracy (QEA). In 33rd International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology (DTM) Article V006T06A027 (Proceedings of the ASME Design Engineering Technical Conference; Vol. 6). American Society of Mechanical Engineers. https://doi.org/10.1115/DETC2021-69407

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title = "Measuring designers{\textquoteright} empathic understanding of users by a Quick Empathic Accuracy (QEA)",

abstract = "Empathy is an essential ability for designers to step into users{\textquoteright} shoes and potentially discover their latent needs. However, although empathy helps designers to better understand users, the degree to which designers can actually understand them remains unclear. Consequently, it is essential to measure the accuracy of designers{\textquoteright} empathic understanding. In our previous work, we have adopted an experimental procedure from psychology to quantify designers{\textquoteright} empathic accuracy. However, the measure as such is time-consuming. Therefore, we attempted to shorten the experimental time while retaining the validity of the measure. This paper reports on the process of shortening the measure and compares the original instrument with the shortened one. The data collected from the shortened instrument shows excellent internal consistency and between subject variance and is able to produce similar results to the original longer measure.",

keywords = "Development, Empathic accuracy, Empathy, Empathy measurement, Product design, User understanding",

author = "Jie Li and Antti Surma-Aho and Katja H{\"o}ltt{\"a}-Otto",

note = "Funding Information: This work is supported by CSC (Chinese Scholarship Council), the “Future Makers” grant of the Technology Industries of Finland Centennial Foundation and Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation. We also wish to thank Professor Kari Tammi, {\'A}lvaro M. Chang-Arana, Xiaoqi Feng and all the participants for their help. Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2021 by ASME.; ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences \& Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, IDETC/CIE ; Conference date: 17-08-2021 Through 19-08-2021",

year = "2021",

doi = "10.1115/DETC2021-69407",

language = "English",

series = "Proceedings of the ASME Design Engineering Technical Conference",

publisher = "American Society of Mechanical Engineers",

booktitle = "33rd International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology (DTM)",

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}

Li, J, Surma-Aho, A & Hölttä-Otto, K 2021, Measuring designers’ empathic understanding of users by a Quick Empathic Accuracy (QEA). in 33rd International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology (DTM)., V006T06A027, Proceedings of the ASME Design Engineering Technical Conference, vol. 6, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, Virtual, Online, 17/08/2021. https://doi.org/10.1115/DETC2021-69407

Measuring designers’ empathic understanding of users by a Quick Empathic Accuracy (QEA). / Li, Jie; Surma-Aho, Antti; Hölttä-Otto, Katja.
33rd International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology (DTM). American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2021. V006T06A027 (Proceedings of the ASME Design Engineering Technical Conference; Vol. 6).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference article in proceedings › Scientific › peer-review

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N2 - Empathy is an essential ability for designers to step into users’ shoes and potentially discover their latent needs. However, although empathy helps designers to better understand users, the degree to which designers can actually understand them remains unclear. Consequently, it is essential to measure the accuracy of designers’ empathic understanding. In our previous work, we have adopted an experimental procedure from psychology to quantify designers’ empathic accuracy. However, the measure as such is time-consuming. Therefore, we attempted to shorten the experimental time while retaining the validity of the measure. This paper reports on the process of shortening the measure and compares the original instrument with the shortened one. The data collected from the shortened instrument shows excellent internal consistency and between subject variance and is able to produce similar results to the original longer measure.

AB - Empathy is an essential ability for designers to step into users’ shoes and potentially discover their latent needs. However, although empathy helps designers to better understand users, the degree to which designers can actually understand them remains unclear. Consequently, it is essential to measure the accuracy of designers’ empathic understanding. In our previous work, we have adopted an experimental procedure from psychology to quantify designers’ empathic accuracy. However, the measure as such is time-consuming. Therefore, we attempted to shorten the experimental time while retaining the validity of the measure. This paper reports on the process of shortening the measure and compares the original instrument with the shortened one. The data collected from the shortened instrument shows excellent internal consistency and between subject variance and is able to produce similar results to the original longer measure.

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KW - Empathic accuracy

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KW - Empathy measurement

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BT - 33rd International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology (DTM)

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ER -

Measuring designers’ empathic understanding of users by a Quick Empathic Accuracy (QEA)

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

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