Empathic Design Research
...sis. Photos show spatial arrangements and contain detail that may have gone unnoticed while the team was on location 3. Reflection and analysis of data: its at this point that the teams tries to identify all of its customer’s problems 4. Brainstorming for solutions: valuable part of any innovation process; within the empathic-design process, it is used to transform the observations into graphic, visual representations of possible solutions 5. Developing prototypes of possible solutions: critical part of empathic-design A. Three reasons why they are important i. Prototypes clarify the concept of the new product or service for the development team ii. Enable team to place its concept in front of other individuals who work in functions not formally represented on the team iii. Stimulate reaction and foster discussion with potential customers because of concreteness B. Two different types of prototypes: one that emulates the function but not form, and another that illustrates the ideal physical appearance of the intended product but doesn’t work C. Simulations are also useful prototypes D. Role playing is also a form of simulation ED can access 5 types of information which traditional market research cannot: 1. Triggers of use: what makes people user our products or service? Are they using it in the way you expected? 2. Interactions with the user’s environment: how does the product fit into the user’s unique operating system? 3. User customization: does the user reinvent or redesign the product to better suit his/her own purpose? 4. Intangible attributes of the product: what kinds of peripheral or intangible attributes does your product or service have? Customers rarely name such attributes in focus groups or surveys, but those unseen factors may constitute a kind ...