55 Mins beginner
2. Design Thinking & User Research
Module 2
Designing for the User, Not Yourself
The biggest pitfall for any engineer is building a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. Design Thinking is a structured framework used by teams at Google and Apple to ensure every feature solves a real human pain point.
🔄 The 5 Stages of Design Thinking
Design thinking isn't a linear path; it's a cycle of constant refinement:
- Empathize: Research your users' needs through interviews and observation.
- Define: State your users' needs and problems clearly.
- Ideate: Challenge assumptions and create ideas for innovative solutions.
- Prototype: Build a scaled-down version of the product to investigate ideas.
- Test: Bring the prototype to real users for feedback.
👥 Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research
Elite designers balance two types of data to make decisions:
- Qualitative (The 'Why'): Gathered through 1-on-1 interviews and focus groups. It reveals emotions and motivations.
- Quantitative (The 'What'): Gathered through surveys and heatmaps. It provides numerical evidence of behavior at scale.
🗺️ The Empathy Map
An Empathy Map is a collaborative tool used to build a shared understanding of a user profile. It is divided into four quadrants: Says, Thinks, Does, and Feels. By mapping these, we move beyond basic demographics and into user psychology.
Hands-On Tutorial: Research Sorting
In the Sandbox, you are tasked with completing an Empathy Map for Sarah, a 34-year-old UX researcher. You will see raw data points from user interviews. Your goal is to sort these insights into the correct quadrants. Remember: A direct quote belongs in 'Says', while an inner worry belongs in 'Thinks'.
In the Sandbox, you are tasked with completing an Empathy Map for Sarah, a 34-year-old UX researcher. You will see raw data points from user interviews. Your goal is to sort these insights into the correct quadrants. Remember: A direct quote belongs in 'Says', while an inner worry belongs in 'Thinks'.
Active Lab: EmpathyMapLab
Build an Empathy Map
Persona: Sarah — min 5 words per quadrant.
THINKS & BELIEVES
5 more needed
FEELS
5 more needed
SAYS & DOES
5 more needed
DOES (BEHAVIOURS)
5 more needed
Knowledge Check
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