Undercover Empathy

Empathy’s Impact on User Experience

Empathy. It is the ability to understand and share the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of another individual. Being empathetic is a fundamental way to connect with others and remain humble, sensitive, and respectful. Empathy is also the first step in design thinking, a human-centered process in User Experience design. 

Design thinking identifies the needs of a user and seeks to meet these needs. Without empathy, design thinking cannot be accomplished. To understand the challenges and needs of a user, the creators of a product or service need to be aware of the user’s perspective and experiences. This happens by entering the world of the user to see what they think, hear what they say, observe their actions, feel their feelings, and more. once these reactions and emotional responses are noted, the designer can use these findings to develop a product and/or service that meets the user’s needs and addresses their issues.

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“Engaging with people directly reveals a tremendous amount about the way they think and the values they hold. Sometimes these thoughts and values are not obvious to the people who hold them. A deep engagement can surprise both the designer and the designee by the unanticipated insights that are different from what they actually do – are strong indicators of their deeply held beliefs about the way the world is.”

– d. School Bootcamp Bootleg, 2013

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Undercover Boss

Since February 2010, an American reality television series called Undercover Boss has disguised high-level corporate executives and placed them into lower-level positions within their organizations. This grants the “boss” the opportunity to witness how their employees execute the processes and procedures they have implemented. Through this mission, the boss unveils new findings, including the perspectives of their employees and customers, the spirit of their workforce, what works for their company, where they need improvement, and more. 

the Undercover boss experience resembles how UX designers empathize with their users. UX professionals empathize by taking surveys, asking questions, performing studies, and more. Similarly, through Undercover Bos, CEOs and Presidents learn work strategies, ask questions, interact with customers, and place themselves in the shoes of their employees. Considering that some of these organization leaders may not have worked in lower level roles before, this experience teaches them to empathize with their employees.

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Empathizing in Build-A-Bear Workshop

Season 8, Episode 1 focuses on Sharon Price John, the President and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, a “global retail chain where customers can design and create their own stuffed toys.” As a first-time CEO, Sharon is excited about reshaping Build-A-Bear Workshop’s future. She looks forward to seeing how her employees and customers are taking to her new store model and other recent changes. She wants to observe Build-A-Bear operations to find out what is working well and what may need improvements. Under her alias, “Jessie,” she walks through a day of work alongside four different employees: Leney, Nick, Solomon, and Kendall. 

Sharon’s first stop is in Northridge, CA. She meets with Leney, a dedicated Bear Builder working in a Build-A-Bear store that has recently implemented the Discovery store model. This new store model was developed by Sharon and her team. 

I walked through the episode alongside Sharon and Leney and observed their Build-A-Bear experiences. Through empathy mapping, I gained an understanding of their perspectives and passions. I’ll start with Sharon.

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Empathy Mapping: Sharon, President and Chief Executive Officer

Sharon’s Background

In June 2013, Sharon Price John became the President and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop. Before Sharon joined the company, Build-A-Bear experienced a financial decline from 2008 to 2012. This resulted in 22% of the company’s North American locations being declared unprofitable. Sharon previously served as Stride Rite Children’s Group’s President and has detailed experience working in big toy and children-focused companies. Some of the companies she has successfully supported include Hasbro, Mattel, Wolverine World Wide, and DDB Needham Worldwide. She has experience in advertising, marketing, product development, and change management. 

In her field, she has been recognized for fixing businesses and restoring declining brands. She is well-versed in reinventing historic brands and making them appeal to the modern customer. As a first-time CEO, Sharon joined Build-A-Bear with the hope of reinventing the brand and refreshing it for the new consumer and millennial. Sharon worked with her team to introduce a new store model, incorporating new colors and a new look and feel to make the store more relevant and appealing. 

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Empathy Mapping: Leney, Bear Builder, Northridge, CA

Leney’s Background

Leney has been a loyal guest at Build-A-Bear since she was about five years old. Now, at age 17, Leney works as a dedicated Bear Builder in Build-A-Bear’s store located in Northridge, California. During her childhood, Leney and her younger sister made memories and bonded together in Build-A-Bear Workshops. Due to her childhood experiences with the store, Leney identifies most with Build-A-Bear’s old store model, the Heritage model, as opposed to Sharon’s new Discovery model. Leney especially loved the Fluff Me station, where kids could give their stuffed animals an air bath. This step in the bear-making process was more memorable and special for guests than the new Smile-with-Me station. 

Leney lives at home with her younger sister, father, and paternal grandmother. She does not talk to her mother or any family members on her mother’s side. Leney’s mother left when she was about 13 years old. Additionally, she was never truly present, so Leney’s grandmother raised her. Currently, Leney is trying to get the most out of living at home with her grandmother because her grandmother has lupus, which is taking a toll on her health. Her father is disabled, so she works three jobs to try and support her family. Despite her many responsibilities and the challenges in her personal life, Leney keeps a smile on her face and works enthusiastically. She is a model employee, as she makes the Build-A-Bear experience exciting and enjoyable for her customers.

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Results

Unlike other episodes of Undercover Boss, this episode ended on a great note. Sharon was able to tap into who she truly is emotionally and gain insight into why Build-A-Bear’s guest experiences are positive and meaningful. 

“I feel terrific about the future of Build-A-Bear. We have wonderful employees that are dedicated to this company and dedicated to the mission. I think what I’ve learned about myself is that to get to CEO there’s been a part of myself that I’ve tried to hold back, an exuberant, joyful part. But this company needs me to be like my real self.”

– Sharon Price John, President & CEO, Build-A-Bear Workshop

Additionally, Sharon recognized a few setbacks in the company’s operational procedures and her new store model. She learned of areas she can focus on improving for the future of her guests, employees, and the Build-A-Bear company. 

Finally, this experience helped Sharon practice empathy toward her employees. Learning about Leney’s life experiences as a 17-year-old impacted Sharon directly because she has a 17-year-old daughter. In conversation with Leney, Sharon stated, “I can’t imagine her having some of the responsibilities and burdens you have on you at this age.”

Sharon gifted Leney $10,000 for her own personal use, $15,000 to cover medical bills for grandmother and father, and a college fund for Leney’s younger sister. Leney broke into tears, thanking and hugging Sharon numerous times for her consideration and generosity.

My Experience with Undercover Boss

Undercover Boss is a unique and innovative way for high-level executives who sit in an office all day to empathize with their on ground employees. Additionally, this experience is a great opportunity for employees and executives to close the gap between their respective roles and engage one another. Although Sharon’s typical day at work looks drastically different from Leney’s, Nick’s, Solomon’s, and Kendall’s, Sharon was able to share in their experiences and draw connections between their lives and hers. 

Each of the employees had personal challenges that had the power to affect their work ethic and their worldview. Surprisingly, each of them channeled their stretching experiences into positive energy, staying optimistic and keeping a genuine smile on their faces despite their hardship. Sharon recognized that her employees were ordinary people striving for better. She realized that they were loyal, dedicated, enthusiastic, compassionate, and caring. They embodied the mission of Build-A-Bear excellently. This experience showed Sharon that she too could open up, be sensitive, and be herself at Build-A-Bear, just like her employees. Many of her goals within the company aligned with her employee’s goals.