Empathy in design thinking is the foundational first stage of the human-centred design process, where designers seek to deeply understand the people they are designing for by observing, engaging with, and immersing themselves in users’ experiences. It requires setting aside one’s own assumptions, ego, and worldview to see through another person’s eyes and feel what they feel. As one definition explains, empathy in this context involves understanding both functional needs and the deeper “supra-functional needs” that drive human behaviour.
The empathy stage is not merely about gathering data but about developing a genuine connection through specific practices. Designers employ methods such as user interviews, observation, and immersion in users’ environments to uncover unarticulated needs. Tools like the What-How-Why method help teams move from concrete observations to abstract motivations, revealing the emotional drivers behind behaviours. Empathy maps and journey maps capture what users say, think, do, and feel, creating shared understanding across design teams. The goal is to build “empathic understanding”—a situated phenomenon shaped by both internal factors (designer’s mindset) and external factors (methods and processes).
What makes empathy in design thinking particularly compelling is its power to generate truly innovative solutions. The classic example is the OXO Good Grips peeler, born from observing someone with arthritis struggling with a standard kitchen tool—leading to ergonomic products now used by millions. More recent applications demonstrate empathy’s transformative potential: design students collaborating with autism communities to create sensory-friendly theatre spaces, and even using bagel-making as a medium for students to experience empathy through touch, taste, and shared cultural memory. Research confirms that misunderstanding empathy leads to products that fail to delight, while genuine empathic connection produces outcomes that resonate deeply.
Empathy in design thinking transforms abstract user research into felt understanding—enabling designers to create not merely functional solutions but products and experiences that genuinely improve lives by addressing needs users themselves may not have been able to articulate.
