In engineering, there seems to be two mindsets - those that
believe they can engineer a system without knowing how it looks and flows, the
other side believes one must know the system. These two sides of the
fence may both be capable of delivering a system; however, which do you suppose
is a better representation of what the system audience requires and desires?
I believe the empathetic engineer will always deliver a system that
better matches that of the non-empathetic approach.
An intimate understanding of a user community allows one to more
easily visualize how it will be used, as that empathy provides the necessary
insight into how a user community will, and will not, use the new system.
There have been many inventions over time in which the inventor
understood the problem she was trying to solve. The iPhone by Apple was
trying to solve the maddeningly complex menu and application flow that previous
phone manufacturers delivered to the market. That team’s empathy came
from them also using the same poor user interface gave us a better Apple
product; the other mobile phone manufacturers only saw the error of their ways
once they were being hammered by the iPhone sales. There are other
examples of this in the market, one only has to look around and you will
certainly find products that are doing far better than others. Empathetic
engineering (and certainly design) provide that advantage.
Blindly building a system based on assumptions without other's
input does not work, as we are no longer in the age of Henry Ford. Ford
once claimed that had he asked people what they wanted, they would have said a
"faster horse". I think his point was that consumers didn't
know what they wanted, as they could not see there could be better modes of transportation.
However, maybe Ford didn't know how to ask the right questions?
Either way, one can no longer ignore their current and future customer
base, as one can be certain your competitor is asking and listening, and will
build that widget that the market needs and wants. Can one really deliver
a super product if one doesn't understand how it really works?
Engaging your user community provides many benefits, but a key,
the key, benefit is a better product. A product that people will want,
will know why they want it. That level product engagement also garners a
following that will have your new customers spreading the word of not only how
great your product is, but they will also likely be talking very favorably
about your company. After all, a poor product is a reflection of your
company. So, building a system in a closed room without user input is really
a bad way of doing business. After all, the purpose of a business is to
make money...money can only be made with happy customers. Unless, of
course, you are selling the only widget available, but that will be short lived
since someone is looking at your product and understanding exactly what is
wrong with it.
Here's to engaging your customers!
