Empathy: the first step to audience involvement
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This is the first step in the “design phase” of ACED in which you undertake an experiment with and for a key target audience. It is all about understanding the perspective of your target group – audience/s or community – which may be very different to others’.
Empathize is design thinking’s first stage for a reason. It’s the first step on the road to thoughtfully designed products that prove the designers built with a compassionate eye for their users. Empathy is a naturally occurring characteristic which people have in varying degrees. However, they can improve their ability to empathize as a soft skill. Anyone in a design team will have preconceived ideas about the many situations people find themselves in as users. It’s unavoidable – you can’t unlearn your life experience. Therefore, you should always adopt a beginner’s mindset to be able to view and analyze situations with users objectively.
Good design – and good audience development – are both based on an authentic and empathetic understanding of people’s needs and interests.
Melting Pro will provide the Textile Culture Net with skills and tools to integrate an audience-centred approach and an innovative digital strategy.
Find out how the ACED method can help you develop and diversify your audiences and users!
Contact Antonia Silviaggi, a.silvaggi@meltingpro.org, Head of Competence Area for Culture.
