Is design empathy the “Magic Pill” for all design problems?

I’ve been reading many articles on design empathy and user-centric designing – essentially designing through the eyes of other users to see what they see, feel what they feel, and experience things as they do. It is also known as “Design Thinking” – a human centered approach that focuses on emotional, physical, and social needs of humans. This is a frequently taught curriculum in many of design schools around the world for many years. The methodology of Design Thinking does work for some user scenarios.

A good example is in the 1940’s when new fighter planes were built with higher speeds, but the number of crashes increased dramatically. After a thorough investigation, it was found that the designers of the aircraft cockpit and helmet assumed a particular pilot dimension and was considering a “one size fit all” solution. Investigators soon realized that the pilot dimensions for cockpits and helmets did not represent any of the actual pilots. This is where design empathy comes into play.  Had the designers measured the actual pilots, many of these crashes would likely have been avoided. Eventually, the Air Force designed adjustable equipment to adapt to any pilot’s dimensions.

Naturally, we all assume this methodology is the “magic pill” to solve all design problems but this isn’t the case at all.  We are always encountering numerous design problems in our daily lives from using our smartphones and appliances, along with everyday objects which we take for granted like kitchen faucets, stove tops, or even seat belts in our daily commute.  These problems could be as simple as taking a shower at a hotel and realizing the height of the showerhead is too high, or a toothbrush that performs poorly because the shape of a person’s mouth may be too small.

How do we solve these problems if design empathy is not the “cure all” solution? Before we discuss this further, let’s look at demographics of product designers.

• 25% of all product designers are women, while 68% are men
• Product designer leads and directors are predominantly white men, at 70%.
• Product designers are roughly 80% white, 13% Asian, 5% Latino/Hispanic, and less then 3% are black

Why are these stats important?  One problem with design empathy is it doesn’t always solve all the problems because there is unconscious bias, and there can be frequent false interpretation of the users’ needs based on gender, cultural differences, and perceived stereotypes.  For example, would you want a male product designer to be responsible for expectant mother essentials and safety items?

A recent study has shown that women are more likely than men to be injured in an auto accident. One hypothesis is that the lack of crash test dummies that adequately represent the average female body leads automakers to design vehicles targeted to protect the so-called 50th percentile male, currently represented by a 171-pound, 5-foot-9-inch dummy that’s used in most crash tests.

Another great example is that most electric shavers are designed by white males. 90% of these shavers don’t work well for Asian males due to the type of hair growth. As an Asian male, I’ve tried numerous shavers and I am only aware of one brand that does a decent job.  Design empathy doesn’t work in this case where the designers assume that an Asian male has the same type of beard as a typical white male.

Even with Design Thinking through empathy, a designer cannot fully understand the experiences of the individual for whom he or she is designing.  Design is still woefully monochromatic, driven by human-centered design. Men should not be designing products for women and vice versa.  Cultural differences can’t be taught unless you experience it. A white male designer alone should not be designing a shaver for a “one size fits all” even though he is experienced with design empathy.

To improve the results and make better design decisions, one of the first steps is to diversify when hiring product designers and promote with diversity in mind. Corporations should consider hiring more females, close the gap with genders at the leadership level, and make sure a structure is in place where all voices are equally heard.

Let’s go back to some of the design issues discussed. What if fighter jets cockpits were designed by actual pilots, products for expectant moms were designed by women who had given birth, and Asian male product designers was part of designing electric shavers for men.  What if auto crash tests used both male and female dummies?  We are likely to have better and safer products in place.

Diversity also provides a different perspective on how we approach solutions to a problem through our cultural upbringings. Design Thinking through empathy is the first step in product design, but don’t expect it to be the “silver bullet” to solve all design issues. Diversifying the product team is the key to successful designs.