Empathy

Requirements: Half sheets of paper, dry erase markers

To design solutions, you must understand problems and to understand problems you must empathize.

Don't believe me? Let's try something.

Suppose you're trying to understand the experience of college students because you want to design solutions that make college easier to survive.

Your problems (5 min)

On a piece of paper:

• 2 min: write down at least 5 things that you think makes college hard for you;
• 3 min: pick one problem and think of some solutions.

Others' problems (10 min)

1. Find one person in class you don't know.
2. Interview the person about their problems. (Try to get what are problems context.)
3. Let yourself be interviewed.
4. Pick one problem that you can both try to solve.
5. Sketch up a couple of solutions for that problem?

Share and compile (20 min)

• What problems surprised you?
• What differed from your lonely exploration of problems to the interview one?
• What have you learned about other people that complement your views about your problems?
• What about the solutions: Any you want to share?
• How do you compare the solutions in the second round (together) to the ones in the first round?

Credit

Sign the activity sheet for credit.