Empathy: Uncovering the Hidden Layers of Design during "Low Tide"
- David Lee
- Jan 20
- 2 min read
Most people think high tide is when the ocean comes alive. The waves are crashing, the water is high, and the energy is palpable. But recently, during a low tide walk at Changi Beach, I realized the opposite is true.
When the water receded, a hidden world appeared: sea cucumbers, snail egg sacs, and complex ecosystems that are completely invisible from the boardwalk.
This is exactly how Empathy works in Design Thinking.
Too often, we attempt to solve problems at "high tide." We rely on surface-level assumptions, implicit biases, and what we think our users need. But as Stanford’s d.school reminds us, if we don't understand the person experiencing the problem, we risk solving the wrong one.
Empathy is the low tide. It pulls back the water to reveal the hidden complexities, motivations, and emotional realities of the people we are designing for.
How do we trigger this "low tide" in our work? Here are 4 actionable methods:
1. Observe in Context Don’t just listen to what people say; watch what they do. IDEO designers observe nurses in hospitals to spot friction points that users can't even articulate. Observation catches what surveys miss.
2. Conduct Empathy Interviews (Dig Deeper) Move beyond opinion. A powerful example is Hatch & Bloom’s work with "The Good Kitchen." By interviewing seniors, they realized the problem wasn't just about food quality—it was about dignity and the stigma of government assistance. Operational data missed this; empathy caught it.
3. Use Empathy Maps Synthesize your findings. Create a quadrant for what users Say, Do, Think, and Feel. This visual tool helps you spot contradictions—like when a user says they are fine, but their actions show frustration.
4. Radical Immersion Step into their world. Shadow them. Participate in their routines. You cannot fully understand the nuance of a user's struggle until you have navigated it yourself.
The Takeaway Innovation doesn't happen at the surface. If you want to create solutions that actually matter, you have to wait for the tide to go out. Look for the hidden patterns. That is where the real impact begins.
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