Sharing Perspectives: Exploring Empathy Research Methods
Design thinking begins with empathy. Before ideas, sketches, or testing prototypes, designers first need to understand the people they’re designing for. Empathy is what allows us to step outside of our own perspective and see, feel, and experience the world as others do.
As Frank Chimero said, “People ignore design that ignores people.” This holds—products and services that don’t meet real human needs tend to fail. That’s why designers rely on empathy research methods: structured ways to discover what people actually want, need, and struggle with.
In this post, we’ll look at three methods you can use to foster empathy in design: the What/How/Why Method, Service Safari, and Shadowing.
The What/How/Why Method
Best used in the early stages of gathering information, the What/How/Why Method focuses on structured observation. Instead of simply “watching” your user, you break down your notes into three parts:
What: What is the person doing?
How: How are they doing it?
Why: Why are they doing it that way?
Let’s say you’re observing someone looking for the cereal aisle in a grocery store:
What: They walk back and forth between aisles
How: They keep on entering and leaving different aisles, always glancing up at the signs
Why: They seem confused about where the cereal aisle is, or can’t find an employee for assistance.
This method builds a solid base of data, keeping observations grounded in reality. You’re not guessing, you’re writing facts first, then interpreting them.
Service Safari
On the other hand, Service Safari is all about becoming the user yourself. Here, you experience the service or product firsthand; you walk in the user’s shoes from start to finish.
Imagine you’re tasked with improving a city bus system. On a Service Safari, you’d:
Try buying a ticket through the app
Wait at the stop and take note of signage, feelings, and the environment
Ride the bus to experience timing, crowding, and accessibility
The user looks at the signage at a bus stop.
Experience the customer journey yourself.
This is more than assumptions or outside observations—it’s firsthand experience. You share the same frustrations and wins that a real user would, providing insights that are hard to capture in a survey or contextual interview.
Shadowing
Shadowing is one of the most revealing research methods. It elevates information gathering to the next level by allowing you to observe someone using a product or service in their natural environment. Instead of relying on guesses or taking the time to become the user, Shadowing allows you to watch at a close distance—catching real-time task management, communication problems, and other hidden challenges.
Note: Focus on a specific process or task when shadowing, so you don’t get overwhelmed and can capture the most useful insights.
Why This All Matters
Empathy is crucial for creating successful solutions. Research methods like these bring us closer to the heart of design: understanding users.
Each one offers a different approach:
What/How/Why helps interpret behavior with structure
Service Safari puts you directly in the user’s shoes
Shadowing reveals hidden challenges in real-world settings
Together, they remind us that empathy is both a mindset and a practice. When we design with empathy, we craft both products and experiences that matter to people.
Hi, I’m Allison!
I am a graphic and interactive designer, ready to craft strategy-driven and engaging designs for you now!