As a graphic designer, much of my work focuses on the client. My design process entails finding out my client’s design needs and fulfilling those needs in my final deliverable. This process is comparable to the UX Design Thinking process, as my clients can be viewed as users of my graphic design services. Although I never viewed my clients as users of a service I was providing, my perspective of my clients has shifted thanks to a course I recently took in which I learned about the fundamentals of user experience design.

In just seven weeks, I completed ICM512, also known as the Principles of User Experience Design, as part of Quinnipiac University’s Interactive Media and Communications Master’s program. In this course, I “explored the ever-changing processes and methods of user experience design” through lessons and exercises surrounding problem definition, empathy, ideation methods, and more. Here’s what I learned each week.

Week 1: Design Thinking Overview

In week 1, I learned about Design Thinking, a methodology for creative problem-solving, and its relevance today. Design Thinking is encapsulated by five actionable stages: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. The Design Thinking process has one key point of focus: the user. It identifies the needs of the user and seeks to meet these needs.

Design Thinking has many benefits. Some of these benefits include helping you gain a deeper understanding of others, encouraging everyone to wear their creative hat, promoting thinking outside the box, and producing one-of-a-kind results.

Exercise: Design Thinking Crash Course

To get hands-on experience in Design Thinking, I partnered with a colleague, Chris, to go through A Virtual Crash Course in Design Thinking, by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, also known as the d.school. This crash course “lets you experience one of the d.school’s most popular learning tools.” 

This course walked us through a collaborative project called the “Gift-Giving Cycle.” The project consisted of multiple sections that walk students through the basic principles of Design Thinking. Using the d.school’s template, I worked with Chris to redesign a gift he gave his brother for Christmas. 

I interviewed Chris about his gift and the reason he gave it, dug deeper, captured my findings, and created a problem statement: 

Chris needs a way to encourage other people because he understands that others need support while experiencing difficult life challenges. 

After defining the problem, I sketched five ways to meet Chris’s needs, shared my solutions with him, captured feedback, reflected, generated a new solution, and shared with Chris once more. In 90 minutes and 9 steps, his gift transitioned from a bread-making recipe book to utilizing Dreams, a PlayStation game universe, to build a game that Chris and his brother can enjoy playing together.

This exercise was a quick and useful way to put Design Thinking into practice. Here’s a look at some of my steps.

Week 2: User Psychology

In the second week, I learned what motivates behavior. Believe it or not, products and services evoke emotion, including mine. Emotional engagement is a key factor to consider when designing a product or service because people are emotional. Emotions are powerful. How we feel about a product or service determines how we value it.

Exercise: Feelings About a Product, Service & Device

In my first exercise, I took a look at a selection of my everyday products, devices, and services to assess the way they made me feel. I analyzed my emotional response to three things using the following phrase:

________ makes me FEEL _________ because my NEED for __________ is OR is not being met.

This resulted in three feel/need statements: 

• Herbal tea makes me feel relaxed because my needs for rest, hydration, and immune support are being met. 
• Amazon Prime makes me feel satisfied because my needs for accessibility and efficiency are being met.
• Vivint’s video doorbell camera makes me feel conscious and informed because my needs for presence and security are being met.

Through this exercise, I learned that when my needs are met I feel content and secure. Because I am content, I have a lasting relationship with each of the products, services, and devices I analyzed. Furthermore, I found that emotions affect a user’s views, interactions, and value of a product or service. Therefore, designers should seek to incorporate emotional design in their work by creating “designs that evoke emotions which result in positive user experiences.” Effective emotional design makes the user’s experience more enjoyable, memorable, and personal.

Exercise: Website Analysis

My second task in week 2 was to complete a website analysis exercise by assessing my emotional response to two websites. I chose to analyze my emotional responses to two websites I visit often, Pexels and Unsplash. 

Through the observation of each site’s overall functionality and practicality (UX) and look and feel (UI), I crafted ten feel/need statements per site. I found that I visit Pexels when I am seeking inspiration. Alternatively, Unsplash is my go-to when I want to remain productive and efficient in my workflow.

This exercise revealed that the interface and experience of the website feed directly into the feelings and evoke emotional responses of a user. It was a practical way to gain insight into user psychology and what drives users.

Here’s a look at some of my steps.

Week 3: User Empathy

Week 3 addressed empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This is most achievable when we set aside our assumptions, labels, judgments, and preconceived notions. In user experience design, the first stage of the Design Thinking process is “Empathize.” This stage is all about engaging the user’s world, learning about them and their experiences, and finding out their needs and challenges. 

In week 3, I learned of multiple practices user experience professionals utilize to empathize with their users. Empathy mapping is a common method used by UX professionals to engage and advocate for their end-users. Empathy maps are a way to gain emotional intelligence and insight from target groups like customers and users. These maps note what a user says, does, thinks, and feels, both implicitly and explicitly, while interacting with a product or service. 

Exercise: Undercover Boss Empathy Maps

To put my empathy mapping knowledge into practice, I created my own. 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. While watching an episode of Undercover Boss, I witnessed the paths of two Build-A-Bear Workshop employees cross, Sharon Price John, President and CEO, and Leney, Bear Builder. I created empathy maps for each of them. 

My empathy mapping exercise showed me how useful this specific tool and experience can be. It unveiled challenges Sharon’s employees were encountering on the job, simply through observing them complete their daily tasks.  

Here’s a look at my empathy maps.

Week 4: Creating Comprehensive Personas

Midway through my course, I created user personas. In user-centered design and marketing, a persona is a profile created to encapsulate user-related research. 

Nielsen Norman Group explains that “user personas are fictitious yet realistic representations of your target users. They act as a multipurpose tool used to drive many important product development tasks. Created out of complex user data, personas take on a format that is meaningful and creates user empathy among your development team, ensuring your users are always the focus of your efforts.” User personas are comprised of a user’s demographics, behaviors, goals, motivations, pain points, and everything that defines who the user is as an individual in relation to a product or service.

Exercise: Creating Comprehensive Personas

In this exercise, I returned to my website analysis exercise, choosing to create personas for Pexels users. Following a persona worksheet, I first created a persona for myself, the Driven Designer. I followed by creating a persona for one other user, the Independent Videographer. 

Completing a persona worksheet is a great way to organize user research. Personas help user experience professionals keep their users at the forefront of their minds.  

Here’s a quick look at some of the research findings pertaining to both of my Pexels user personas.

Week 5: Problem Definition

The second stage in the UX Design Thinking process is called Define. This section of my course covered problem definition. Problem definition is comprised of identifying a specific user problem that needs to be solved. This stage determines what needs to be addressed before committing time and resources to execute other Design Thinking steps, including ideation, prototyping, and testing. This stage encourages fixation on a particular challenge and setting a goal that UX professionals and designers can actively work toward realizing. The result of the define stage is a clear objective, better known as a problem statement. 

Exercise: Problem Statements

In my first exercise of week 5, I revisited the Build-A-Bear Workshop of Undercover Boss. Using Aaron Benjamin’s problem statement format, I wrote five problem statements surrounding challenges that were identified throughout the episode. 

Crafting problem statements made it clear that defining the problem is a vital step in Design Thinking. Without a solid problem statement, UX designers lack focus, direction, and purpose in meeting their user’s needs. Additionally, a well-formulated problem statement results in an effective solution.

Click here to view my Build-A-Bear problem statements

Exercise: App Point of Views

In my second exercise, I was tasked with developing Point Of View statements. In User Experience design, a Point Of View (POV) statement” is a meaningful and actionable problem statement, which will allow you to ideate in a goal-oriented manner.” POV statements help pinpoint a direct need that needs to be met. This assists UX professionals in targeting the need and developing a solution. Instead of attempting to juggle many issues at once with their attention divided, UX professionals remain direct, opting to find a solution for one specific problem at a time. 

To develop my own POV statements, I read positive, negative, and constructive reviews from users of three iPad illustration applications, Pexels, SketchBook, and ArtStudio. After taking note of the reviews, I used my research findings to generate two problem statements per app, formatted like so: 

[User . . . (descriptive)] needs [need . . . (verb)] because [insight. . . (compelling)].

Finding ratings and reviews from real users helped me understand how users of a product, service, or application can assist designers and developers by pointing out issues that need solutions. Reviews often lead to a more polished and refined app. 

Here are some of the reviews I found for each app, and the POV statements I came up with. 

Week 6: Ideation Methods

Week 6 was a crash course in the third step of the UX Design Thinking process, Ideate. In this innovative step, teams seek to generate quick and simple ideas that can be transformed into designs later on. Ideation is where you think of various ways to address your user’s needs. Viewing your problem alternatively and thinking outside the box is encouraged. In this stage, it is important to generate multiple ideas instead of focusing on the first idea you come up with. Quantity wins over quality. 

Ideation techniques include brainstorming, sketching, mind mapping, storyboarding, and prototyping. Regardless of the specific method, ideation is a critical way to tackle challenging problems effectively. It fosters innovation and creativity by creating room to produce ideas beyond the normal range of thought.

Exercise: Mash-Up Method

In this exercise, I learned to use a new ideation technique, Mash-Up. Using IDEO’s Mash-Up Method Template, I found a few ways my husband and I can make remote work less dull and more pleasant. 

First, I created a “How Might We (HMW)” question to identify a current problem needing a solution: 

How might we (my husband and I) make working from home more enjoyable? 

Next, I chose to cross-pollinate elements from two categories: “Remote Work Elements” and “Vacation Activities.” Finally, I selected a handful of my element combinations to define and develop further into potential solutions. 

This exercise was a fun way to think outside the box and come up with wild ideas that would lead to one-of-a-kind solutions. To my surprise, the Mash-Up exercise created the judgment-free environment needed to be unique, inventive, and original in my ideas. 

Here’s how my mash-up turned out.

Exercise: Ideation Techniques

My next exercise required me to revisit my POV statements from week 5. After learning about numerous ideation techniques, I chose to experiment with four different techniques to come up with ideas that could lead to solutions for each of my POV statements. For each statement, I used two different ideation techniques. 

The ideation techniques I chose were Braindump, Mindmap, Sketch, and Brainwrite. All of the methods I utilized are suitable for individuals and can be effective for a one-person UX team. In my process, I found that some ideation techniques foster and promote creative thinking while others produce more practical, accessible, and concrete results. 

Through this exercise, I realized that ideation is one of the more enjoyable stages of the Design Thinking process. It’s a space to stretch thought processes and get creative juices flowing. Ideation makes solution-finding exciting and interesting by fostering an environment void of judgment and criticism and full of “weird, wacky, and wild ideas.”

Here’s a look at my individual ideation techniques in action.

Week 7: Journey Maps

In my final week of ICM512, I learned about journey maps. A journey map is a visualization of the process that a user or customer goes through to accomplish a goal. Additionally, journey maps track how the user feels about their journey along the way. This tool allows designers of a product, service, app, site, or experience to follow their user’s steps and experience their brand as their users would. Journeying alongside the user highlights pain points that designers can target to improve the user experience.

Journey maps come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and can be created in different ways. Nevertheless, the most important content within a journey map includes a persona, timeline, emotion, touchpoints, and channels. 

Exercise: User Journey Map

After learning about the components of a journey map, I put one together myself. Using Adobe InDesign and Flat Icon, I created a journey map to follow the steps of Novice Nova, my user persona. 

Nova is a working professional in need of a way to cut back on the time she spends grocery shopping and preparing meals in order to be more productive. She is looking for a meal kit service suitable for her. 

This exercise taught me that everyone has a journey unique to them, even in UX design. No two journeys are alike. The exercise also called attention to specific pain points Nova experienced as a first-timer. At the end of the journey, I gathered insights, indicating ways meal kit services can possibly improve Nova’s journey. 

Here’s my journey map.

Final Thoughts

Throughout this course, there was one integral piece at the center of every week: the user. User experience design is all about gaining insight into the human perspective. From understanding the audience to identifying problems they may be facing, to generating ideas to solve these challenges, all the way down to the solution, the common denominator is the user. Without the user, user experience design can not be accomplished. In all its processes and stages, user experience design is achieved by remaining mindful of the user’s position and point of view, also known as their experience.

Thanks to this course, As a graphic designer, I am now more equipped to empathize with my clients, identify their needs, think creatively, generate ideas while designing, and come up with distinct, innovative, and refreshing designs that meet my clients’ needs. Even if you are not a UX professional, I’m sure your services meet the needs of a user. I challenge you to assimilate the world of your audience, client, customer, or user.

In life, everyone is on a journey with experiences unique to each individual. Distinct journeys also occur for customers and users in general business and user experience design.

What is a Journey Map?

A journey map is a visualization of the process that a user or customer goes through to accomplish a goal. Journey maps also track how the user feels about their journey along the way. This tool allows designers of a product, service, or experience to follow their user’s steps and experience their brand as their users would. Journeying alongside the user highlights pain points that designers can target to improve the user experience.

How to Create a Journey Map

Journey maps come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Whether you use sticky notes on a board, draw illustrations, or create an infographic, there are no restrictions on the design of a journey map as long as the information within the map is dissectible and formatted in a way that can be easily followed. Furthermore, every solid journey map covers specific components needed to analyze the user’s journey effectively. 

Journey Map Examples

Journey Map Components

• Persona: A character created to represent a specific user. A user persona is a believable figure with a name, face, thoughts, feelings, and characteristics that resemble real users of the product or service. 
• Timeline: Variable phases within the journey and/or a real timeline including, hours months, etc. 
• Emotion: Depictions of how the user is feeling within different phases of the journey. Emotion addresses peaks and valleys such as feeling anxious or feeling assured.
• Touchpoints: Direct user interactions and actions with the organization. This area notes the actual steps the user is taking.
• Channels: The context of use. This is how the user’s actions take place, whether via online browsing, interpersonal discussion, a mobile application, etc.

My Meal Kit Journey Map

This week, I created a journey map on choosing a meal kit service. To view the complete journey map, download the PDF below. For now, I’ll share my user persona, timeline, emotions, actions and channels, and final insights.

Background

A meal kit is a subscription service–foodservice business model where a company sends customers pre-portioned and sometimes partially-prepared food ingredients and recipes to prepare homecooked meals. In the past ten years, the demand for meal kit services has increased in the United States. 

Nova is new to the meal kit service scene. She doesn’t know what to look for or expect. In this journey map, we’ll track her steps, assessing her actions, thoughts, emotions, and more. We’ll also find opportunities for improvement.

Persona

Novice Nova

Nova is a working professional. She balances a full-time job as a director of communications and a part-time position as an entrepreneur and the CEO of her own organization. Nova commits a great deal of her time and energy to her work. When she’s not working, she’s likely networking.

Recently, Nova realized she would prefer to commit the time she spends recipe researching, grocery shopping, and preparing meals to other things. She wants to eat well-balanced meals and remain productive. In the kitchen, Nova is looking to work smarter, not harder. She would rather think of more meaningful things in place of wondering what’s for dinner.

Timeline

Here are the phases of finding a meal kit service:

• Consideration: This is Novice Nova’s starting point. In this first phase, Nova realizes that she needs a way to simplify grocery shopping and meal preparation in order to maintain her productivity. She searches for feasible meal preparation alternatives.
• Exploration: Once Nova learns about meal kit services, she decides to look into a handful of meal kit service companies. She learns about costs, servings, recipe options, etc., and compares multiple services through reviews online and observations of each service’s online presence. Through hearing about other peoples’ experiences, Nova learns how meal kit services work.
• Decision: In this phase, Nova has narrowed down her service. Through last-minute research via multiple channels, Nova’s goal is to select the service that will suit her best. This takes an additional one to two hours.
• Sign Up & Selection: Nova progresses in her journey by creating an account using the service’s website and/or mobile app. She takes time to familiarize herself with the site/app and recipes. Finally, she selects the meals she wants to cook for her first order. This step takes 40 minutes to one and a half hours.
• Delivery & Trial: Nova is excited to receive her first meal kit order. The wait time for her first delivery is about five to seven days. She tracks her package, and when it arrives, she unboxes and stores the ingredients, prepares her first meal, and eats! 
• Reflection: In this final phase, Nova has completed her week-long trial. She reflects on her first meal-kit experience by asking herself several questions to assess whether she would like to keep or cancel her subscription. 

Emotions

I used the following emotions to depict Nova’s feeling within each phase:

• Neutral: Indifference, Unbothered
• Unsure: Hesitant, Needing Clarity
• Lost: Disoriented, Overwhelmed
• Confident: Ready, Equipped
• Optimistic: Hopeful, Expectant
• Assured: Comfortable, Secure
• Pain Point: A step in the journey that highlights a specific problem the user is experiencing

Actions & Channels

Here are Nova’s four go-to actions and channels along the way:

• Interpersonal Discussion: Speaking with others to gain insight into their thoughts and experiences regarding various meal kit services
• Social Media: Using social media platforms to observe the online presence of different services and find first-hand reviews 
• Mobile App: Using the selected service’s mobile application to create an account and place orders
• Online Browsing: Searching online for research purposes including finding reviews, ratings, online forums, blog posts, and more. Nova also goes online to find, observe, and utilize the meal kit service sites 

Final Insights

To help avert some of the pain points that novice meal kit users may encounter, meal kit services can explore the following:

• Simplified meal kit information including plans, delivery, etc. so that users are not overwhelmed while stepping into a new experience characterized by meal kit jargon
• A one-time introductory kit. The kit can be provided at a lower cost. This can help new users determine if the service is right for them with no strings attached
• Explainer videos that offer further insight into the meal kit service process from start to finish
• A custom welcome package when a customer orders their first kit. This would help users get acquainted with the practical side of meal kit services more easily instead of receiving a box full of ingredients and having to figure it out
• An order breakdown sheet so users know how their separate meals are packaged and how to store them
• Recipe videos accessible on the service’s website and/or app to make the cooking experience more seamless
• Interaction with the user to gain a direct understanding of what improvements they need. This can look like email surveys, in-app rating requests, customer service check-in calls, etc.

In my last blog post, I touched on Ideate, the third step in the UX Design Thinking process. Ideation is a practice that involves thinking of various ways to address a user’s needs. These potential solutions can seem wild and outrageous. However, it is encouraged to view the problem alternatively, get creative, and think outside the box. In this stage, multiple ideas are generated without judgment or criticism. Additionally, quantity wins over quality. It’s okay to come up with quick, rough, unfinished ideas because, later on, there will be room to build on these ideas. Although our instinctual go-to for formulating new ideas is likely brainstorming, there are many other ideation techniques suitable for individuals and groups.

Point Of View Exercise

Recently, I completed a Point Of View (POV) Exercise for three different iPad illustration applications: Procreate, Autodesk Sketchbook Pro, and ArtStudio Pro. Reading positive, negative, and constructive reviews from users of these apps gave me insight into the users’ experiences. Once I developed a general understanding of the users’ perspectives, I developed two Point Of View statements per app to directly pinpoint user needs. Below are the POV statements I came up with for each app.

Ideation Techniques in Practice

This week, I experimented with four ideation techniques to formulate ideas for solutions to each of my POV statements. For each statement, I used two different ideation techniques. All of the methods I utilized are suitable for individuals and can be effective for a one-person UX team.

My Four Ideation Techniques for Individuals

• Braindump: Very similar to the brainstorm technique, braindump is a silent ideation technique achieved individually. With a timer set, participants write down their ideas on sheets of paper, cards, or sticky notes. Generally, it’s important to write down one idea per note. When the time is up, all ideas are posted on one board for further assessment and development.

• Mindmap: Mindmapping is a graphical ideation technique that starts with a problem statement in the middle of the page. Participants write related ideas and solutions on the same page in the space around the problem statement. Finally, lines of connection are drawn between the various ideas on the page. This technique builds a web of relationships.

• Sketch: Creating rough sketches of possible solutions is a visual way to generate ideas. Sketching sparks creativity and innovation, things needed for a successful ideation session. The key to the sketch technique is to refrain from committing a lot of time to well-developed sketches. The sketches should be as simple and rough as possible with just enough detail to convey meaning.

• Brainwrite: Brainwriting is a silent ideation technique in which participants write down their ideas on paper. Next, the paper is passed onto another person to elaborate on the idea. After a few minutes, papers are passed on again. This process can be repeated multiple times to build on ideas. Individually, one can create an initial list of general ideas and cycle through the list, revisiting each list item a couple of times to develop their ideas further.

Ideating for Procreate

For a quick look into each of my ideation techniques, I’ll share how I crafted ideas to solve both of my Procreate problem statements. For a deeper look into how I utilized these techniques for all three apps, download the ideation technique PDF.

Procreate POV Statement 1

Users that produce detailed projects over a longer period need access to their entire edit history because work can easily be destroyed or deleted permanently with no restorative capabilities.

Braindump

I started each braindump session with a fresh sheet of paper in my sketchbook and a stack of sticky notes. I wrote my POV statement in the top left corner of the page, locating a specific need to focus on: access to the entire edit history of a project. With my timer set to 4 minutes, I wrote all of the general ideas and solutions that came to mind on individual sticky note sheets and spread them out on the page.

In my process, I found that braindumping was a great way to start ideation. Although braindumping may not result in fully developed ideas or solutions, it’s a good starting point. Braindumping helped me organize all of the thoughts floating around in my mind. This technique opened the door for me to expand my ideas using other techniques.

Mindmap

For each of my mindmapping sessions, I took to my iPad. Using a fresh canvas in Procreate (how ironic) I started with my problem statement in the center of the page and worked my way outward with general solution ideas. Once I had my solutions written down, I simplified some of them into functions and capabilities for a deeper understanding of how these features might operate. Next, I drew lines to connect my general ideas to their components and my problem statement. I also drew lines of connection between related ideas and dotted lines between similar capabilities.

Mindmapping turned out to be a more structured way to generate solutions. I was able to organize my ideas, simplify them, create hierarchy, and identify relationships amongst my solutions in a clear and concise manner.

Procreate POV Statement 2

Users that utilize Procreate regularly need access to external or cloud-based storage because Procreate projects require
a lot of memory and can easily max out iPad storage.

Sketch

My sketching sessions consisted of another blank sheet in my sketchbook, a pencil, and a timer set to four minutes. I wrote my second POV statement in the top left corner of the page for reference and started thinking of ways to give Procreate users access to external storage. Once I had a good set of ideas sketched out, I went back and penciled in names and/or short descriptions for each of my sketches.

Sketching was definitely a good way to get me thinking creatively as I drafted new ideas for a problem that seemed to have a straightforward solution. Creating visual representations of my ideas fostered more innovation, allowing me to view things alternatively.

Brainwrite

For my last ideation technique, brainwrite, I decided to write out my solutions in list form utilizing a new note on my iPad. I started by writing down general ideas that could potentially meet the need for external storage. Once I had a solid list of varying ideas, I cycled through my list to build upon each idea with one additional sub-detail. Finally, I cycled through each idea once more to add a little more detail.

Brainwriting assisted me in thinking practically. Adding bullet points beneath each of my general ideas pushed me to question what each solution would look like in a realistic scenario. To me, brainwriting is an ideation technique that produces more concrete and accessible solutions.

Procreate Ideation Results

Overall, I learned that each of my ideation techniques was useful, but I may turn to different ideation techniques for varied reasons. Regardless of the technique I choose, I may end up with alike ideas. However, if I want my ideation experience to be more creative and innovative, I will likely turn to the Braindump and Sketch techniques. For ideas that have more depth and practicality, I would utilize the Mindmap and Brainwrite techniques. Nevertheless, all four of my individual ideation techniques presented me with ideas worth pursuing including adding in a backup feature, history panel, edits panel, iCloud storage, or Procreate cloud storage. Comparing ideation techniques proved that, even in UX design, many roads can in fact lead to one destination.

Final Thoughts

Ideation is one of the more enjoyable stages of the Design Thinking process. It’s a space for you to stretch your thought processes and get your creative juices flowing. Seeking a solution for a user’s problem can seem challenging and intimidating. However, ideation makes it exciting and interesting by fostering an environment void of judgment and criticism and full of “weird, wacky, and wild ideas.” The next time you are stuck in a brainstorming loop, try a new ideation technique! It may be unfamiliar, but it will probably turn out to be refreshing and rewarding.

Whenever you and your team need to formulate a new idea, you probably turn to brainstorming first. Brainstorming is a collaborative experience in which individuals share spontaneous ideas as possible solutions to a specific problem. This method, fathered by Alex Osborn, is one of many techniques used to ideate. 

Design Thinking Stage 3: Ideate

In UX, Ideate is the third step in the Design Thinking process. First, UX professionals empathize by placing themself in their user’s shoes and gaining insight into the user’s experience. Next, based on the research gathered, UX professionals use their findings to define a problem the user is experiencing that needs a solution. Once this problem is clearly defined, we can move to ideation. In this innovative step, teams seek to generate quick and simple ideas that can be transformed into designs later on. Ideation is where you think of various ways to address your user’s needs. Viewing your problem alternatively and thinking outside the box is encouraged. In this stage, it is important to generate multiple ideas instead of focusing on the first idea you come up with. Quantity wins over quality. 

“Ideation is a creative process where designers generate ideas in sessions… Participants gather with open minds to produce as many ideas as they can to address a problem statement in a facilitated, judgment-free environment.”

Interaction Design Foundation

Although you may be more familiar with brainstorming, additional ideation techniques include sketching, mind mapping, storyboarding, and prototyping. Regardless of the specific method that works for you and your team, ideation is a critical way to tackle challenging problems effectively. Ideation fosters innovation and creativity by creating room to produce ideas beyond your normal range of thought.

The Mash-Up Method

A new ideation technique I learned this week is called Mash-Up. According to the Innovation Design Engineering Organization (IDEO), a Mash-up is a fun exercise that “brings odd or unexpected things together to spark fresh ideas.” After developing a “How Might We (HMW)” question to identify a current problem needing a solution, Mash-Up encourages you to list elements from two broad, unrelated categories. Next, the activity challenges you to cross-pollinate the list items to develop crazy, new ideas. Finally, you select five of your favorite ideas to name, sketch, and expand on. This method is a quick and entertaining way to think outside of the box.

Using IDEO’s Mash-Up Method Template, I found a few ways my husband and I can make remote work less dull and more pleasant.

My Mash-Up Activity

How Might We Question

How might we (my husband and I) make working from home more enjoyable? 

My husband and I both work from home and we share the same home office. Although we are in the same room for the majority of most days, our desks face away from each other. Working remotely requires us to attend numerous virtual meetings, chat back and forth with coworkers and clients, respond to emails punctually, and be available for a phone call at any time.

To keep up with the pace, we often find ourselves skipping breaks and working overtime to ensure that the people we work with feel that we are present and maintaining our responsibilities promptly. My husband and I agree that we do not take enough breaks during the workday. Additionally, we do not take enough time off. Therefore, we need to find ways to make our work experiences less draining and more exciting. We also want to be intentional about scheduling breaks throughout the day.

Cross-Pollinating my Categories

In an attempt to combine productivity with relaxation, I chose the following two categories: “Remote Work Elements” and “Vacation Activities.” Combining elements from both categories made the activity interesting and exciting.

My five favorite cross-pollinations were “Deadline Picnic,” “Lunch Break Driving,” “Desk Massage,” “Home Office Beach,” and “To-Do List Dancing.” To view sketches for all five, download the activity PDF. I’ll go ahead and share two.

4L: CELEBRATORY DEADLINE PICNIC [DEADLINE + PICNIC]

When I or my husband meet a significant deadline at work, the other person will organize an at-home picnic in our dining area or on our deck. This activity can become a household ritual and a way to recognize one another’s accomplishments.

Our meal times often overlap with work activities, which causes us to throw quick meals together or eat one-too-many snacks. Furthermore, we tend to bring our food to our desks instead of leaving our desks to eat our food. Utilizing a specified space within our home and being more intentional about our meal choices will help us maintain the balance we need between work and other activities, even ones as simple as meals.

9O: FIVE-MINUTE MASSAGES [DESK + MASSAGE]

My husband and I can take five-minute breaks throughout the workday to alternate, giving one another quick shoulder and back massages. This activity will ease some of the mental and physical stress brought on by sitting in the same spot and working intensely for long periods.

Quick massages are another creative way to take a breather from the ongoing anxiety that working from home may foster. My husband and I both work full-time jobs. We are also in school, freelancing in design, and pursuing our own creative endeavors daily. All of this time seated at our desks, staring at our computer screens adds up. Altogether, we need to be more deliberate in finding ways to allow our bodies to relax and release tension, even if we can only spare the time in five-minute intervals.

Final Thoughts

I was not sure what to expect when completing my Mash-Up activity. Developing my HMW question, two categories, and 15 list items per category were challenging because I did not want to end up with unworkable solutions. To my surprise, the Mash-Up exercise created the judgment-free environment needed to be unique, inventive, and original in my ideas. 

“Creative spaces don’t judge. They let the ideas flow, so that people can build on each other and foster great ideas. You never know where a good idea is going to come from, the key is make everyone feel like they can say the idea on their mind and allow others to build on it.”

– OpenIDEO, 7 Tips on Better Brainstorming

In ideation, no idea is a bad idea. Ideation should foster a playful, innovative, and creative space. If you have been tossing the same two or three redundant ideas back and forth, it may be time to try a new ideation technique to get the ball rolling. Step outside of your comfort zone and you’ll learn that ideating is a fun way to stretch your mind, ignite your imagination, and craft one-of-a-kind solutions.

Before you make reservations at a restaurant, order an item from Amazon, book a room at a hotel, or download a new app, you’ll likely read reviews about it. Customer reviews and user ratings are real-life evaluations of things we access and utilize daily, including video games, applications, products, services, and more. Reviews and ratings are ever-desired and highly regarded, so much so that people search for the opinions of others via review apps and websites, online forums, Youtube videos, and more. Additionally, reviews are coveted by those who supply and modify a product or service, such as UX professionals, designers, and developers. From a potential user to a developer, everyone wants to know what works well and what needs reworking.

How Reviews Benefit Developers

In UX, user reviews of an application can be useful for developers. Users often find bugs and other issues that developers may not have spotted. Through reviews, these problems are brought to developers’ attention and are likely to be addressed in the next app update. Furthermore, some users of a particular app may have experience with, or exposure to, similar competitor applications. In this case, users have a good idea of whether the user interface is well designed, functional, intuitive, and makes sense for today’s users. Reviews give insight into a user’s personal experience with the application. This helps developers understand the current needs of their users and adjust the app accordingly. Lastly, some review platforms provide an active line of communication between the user and the developer. Users can leave a review about a specific problem they are experiencing with the expectation that they will receive a response from the developers. Once their questions are answered, issues are addressed, and needs are met, they can update their review to reflect their most recent thoughts and experience concerning the application.

Point of View Statements

Gaining insight into a user’s experience is all about understanding their vantage point. In User Experience design, a Point Of View (POV) statement” is a meaningful and actionable problem statement, which will allow you to ideate in a goal-oriented manner.” POV statements help pinpoint a direct need that needs to be met. This assists UX professionals in targeting the need and developing a solution. Instead of attempting to juggle many issues at once with their attention divided, UX professionals remain direct, opting to find a solution for one specific problem at a time. 

POV statements combine three components – the user, the need, and the insight. A Point Of View statement is formatted in the following manner:  

[User . . . (descriptive)] needs [need . . . (verb)] because [insight. . . (compelling)].

POV Statements in Practice 

This week, I reviewed three iPad illustration applications and completed a Point Of View statement exercise for each app. Utilizing Apple’s app store, I looked up three positive, negative, and constructive (also known as suggestive) reviews left by real-life Procreate, Autodesk SketchBook Pro, and ArtStudio Pro users. Positive reviews are left by users that are generally pleased with the app. They likely enjoy the app and are still making use of it. Negative reviews are left by users who are dissatisfied. Maybe they do not agree with the cost of the app, the app does not meet their expectations, or they found something better. Constructive reviews could have positive, negative, or so-so undertones. These reviews offer up meaningful suggestions and ideas of things they would like to see improved. After reading multiple reviews of each kind, I used my findings to create two POV statements per app. 

If you would like to view the entire exercise, feel free to download the PDF here.

For now, here’s what I did for Procreate, my favorite of the three. 

Procreate: Overview

Stats

• Overall Rating: 4.5 stars
• Rating Total: 22K
• Cost: $9.99 one time
• Awards: Editor’s Choice App
• Chart: #1 Graphics & Design

Descriptions

• Wikipedia: “Procreate is a raster graphics editor app for digital painting developed and published by Savage Interactive for iOS and iPadOS. Designed in response to the artistic possibilities of the iPad, it was launched on the App Store in 2011.”

• App Store Excerpt: “Loved by creative professionals and aspiring artists alike, Procreate us the leading creative application made for iPad. Offering hundreds of handmade brushes, a suite of innovative artistic tools, an advanced layer system, and the lightning fast Valkyrie graphics engine, Procreate gives you everything you need to create expressive sketches, rich paintings, gorgeous illustrations and beautiful animations. Work on the couch, on the train, at the beach, or while waiting in line for coffee. It’s a complete art studio you can take anywhere; packed with powerful features.”

Positive Reviews

Negative Reviews

Constructive Reviews

Procreate Point of View Statements

• Users that produce detailed projects over a longer period need access to their entire edit history because work can easily be lost, destroyed, or deleted permanently with no restorative capabilities. Some of the constructive reviews addressed something I have experienced before – losing work. If you make edits to a project and exit the project to return to Procreate’s project gallery, the next time you open your project you will not be able to utilize the undo button to restore past work. The undo and redo buttons are only applicable during the user’s current working session. This is an easy way to make irrecoverable mistakes. Similarly, if you accidentally delete the entire project there is no way to recover it from the trash.

• Users that utilize Procreate regularly need access to external or cloud-based storage because Procreate projects require a lot of memory and can easily max out iPad storage. Since procreate requires a lot of space, the only way to create space on your iPad and maintain your working files is to export the layered file and send it to yourself to store elsewhere (like your computer or external hard drive). This is tedious because transferring the files over to your storage destination is not a smooth process. It requires time and resources. Considering that Procreate is created for the iPad, if procreate was integrated with iCloud like other apps, users would be able to transfer their work over to the cloud and access it effortlessly.

Final Thoughts

Leave your own ratings and reviews! Publishing your thoughts and opinion helps other users determine if the product, service, or app will be suitable for them. Furthermore, reviews highlight problem areas for designers and developers to evaluate. Your review may lead to a more polished and refined app. Your two cents add up! After all, the customer is always right.

What do you hate most about the website you love? What do you love most about the app you hate? User experience is all about meeting the user’s need, also known as solving their problem. In the UX Design Thinking process, the first step to problem-solving is understanding what the user is experiencing. Gaining insight into the user’s experience is achieved by finding ways to empathize with them. The empathy stage involves various research methods, including conducting interviews, taking surveys, observing users in their environment, empathy mapping, and more. These research findings assist UX professionals with transitioning into the next step of the process: define. 

The Define Stage

Why Define?

The define stage of the Design Thinking process identifies a specific user problem that needs to be solved. This stage determines what you want to address before committing time and resources to execute other design thinking steps, including ideation, prototyping, and testing. Within this stage, you fixate on a particular challenge and set a goal you can actively work toward realizing. The result of the define stage is a clear objective, better known as a problem statement. 

Analysis vs. Synthesis

Defining the problem is accomplished by synthesizing the data gathered in the preceding step. In Design Thinking, analysis and synthesis can occur within any stage. However, the general rule of thumb is that the empathize stage is achieved through analysis, while the define stage is achieved through synthesis. 

“The relationship between the empathize and define stages can best be described in terms of analysis and synthesis. In the empathize phase, we use analysis to break down everything we observe and discover about our users into smaller, more manageable components—dividing their actions and behavior into ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ categories, for example. In the define stage, we piece these components back together, synthesizing our findings to create a detailed overall picture.”

Emily Stevens, How To Define A Problem Statement: Your Guide To The Second Step In The Design Thinking Process, Career Foundry

Developing a Problem Statement

A problem statement is an essential component of a Design Thinking project. It serves as the guiding light, as it provides a focus on the user’s needs, maintains direction and structure, and encourages optimism. It can also be called a user needs statement, a how might we statement, or a point-of-view (PoV) statement. UX professionals aim to write clear problem statements that foster ideation and support finding a solution. 

Though problem statement formats vary, Aaron Benjamin of Prototypr.io recommends formatting a direct, solution-seeking problem statement, using minimal characters, like so:  [Action verb]  is a challenge for  [user]  because  [insight] . 

Problem Statements in Action

In a previous blog post, I walked through an empathy mapping exercise. While watching an episode of Undercover Boss, I observed the CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshops, Sharon Price John, as she shadowed her employees to gain insight into how guests and employees experience her company. 

In my exercise, I created two empathy maps to analyze the experiences of Sharon and Leney, a Build-A-Bear associate. Empathy mapping is a way to observe a user by taking note of what they say, do, think, and feel while interacting with a product or service. My empathy mapping exercise also covered what each user heard, saw, their pains, and their gains. 

This week, I revisited the Undercover Boss episode, and my two Build-A-Bear empathy maps to craft problem statements. Using Aaron Benjamin’s problem statement format, here are my findings:

• Using the Smile-with-Me station is a challenge for Build-A-Bear guests because there are no clear directions to communicate how to utilize the station. During Sharon’s Discovery store model visit in Northridge, CA, she asks Bear Builder Leney what she thinks of the new store model in comparison to the old, Heritage model. Due to Leney’s 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. Unfortunately, this memorable step in the bear-making process was replaced with new Smile-with-Me station. Leney explained that the station was confusing and misleading for guests because there are no clear instructions. Parents assume that the store will take a photo of their guests, and fail to understand that the station is actually intended for them to take the picture themself. Altogether, the new station is less special and engaging for guests than the Fluff Me station.

• Stuffing bears is challenging for Sharon because it requires experience and mastery.  During the same store visit, Leney challenges Sharon with using the stuffer machine. This machine involves a foot pedal that starts the machine when stepped on, and a hose which shoots out stuffing. As soon as Sharon starts stuffing, she misses the inside of the bear she is holding, and stuffing shoots out everywhere, startling guests and making a mess within the station. Sharon struggles while stuffing bears because mastering the stuffer machine requires experience. Various stations at the store require hands-on learning, which may not be suitable for every employee. There are not clear instructions on how much pressure to put on the foot pedal or what angle employees should hold the bears over the hose to direct the stuffing appropriately. 

• Preparing a palette in Build-A-Bear’s “bearhouse” is a challenge for warehouse employees because the steps are inefficient. During Sharon’s distribution warehouse visit in Colombus, OH, Bearhouse employee Solomon, gathers boxes on his cherry picker alongside Sharon. After cherry picking, his coworkers slide all of his boxes down a metal ramp as he goes to the loading dock to manually re-stack and rescan his boxes on a palette as they come down the ramp. Solomon explains that the boxes need to be scanned and stacked on the palette quickly, in a particular way to avoid the lines backing up. The steps of cherry picking, scanning, stacking, sliding, rescanning, and re-stacking are inefficient, as steps are repeated unnecessarily. These repeated steps slowdown the warehouse workers at the time they need to move fast the most.

• Learning the register is challenging for new employees, including Sharon because there is no established training method. Sharon visits a Heritage model store in Whitehall, PA and meets Nick, a Build-A-Bear Bear Builder who walks her through the entire bear-making process. The final step of the process is checking the guest out. Nick gives Sharon his own crash course for using the register and then tasks her with checking out a few guests so that she can get some practice. As Sharon checks customers out, she mistakingly rings items up multiple times and forgets to complete a register step to process a customer’s payment. The expressions of confusion and frustration on the customers’ faces indicate that the store may need to update their register training with a training mode so that employees can practice safely instead of learning as they go.

• Training new employees is a challenge for Kendall because Build-A-Bear’s training manual does not suit everyone’s learning style. While training Sharon, Kendall, a Build-A-Bear Assistant Manager in Alpharetta, GA, shares that she has crafted and customized her own training manual using the store’s old and new manuals. Although she often refers back to the store’s latest manual, she maintains key principles from both manuals to help new associates learn better. Sharon has an issue with this because she believes that Kendall should only be following the new training manual. After further discussion with Kendall, Sharon learns that Kendall is being inclusive and considerate of her employees. Sharon devises a good solution to this problem that entails crafting a quick start manual suitable for all employees and all learning styles. 

Final Thoughts

Defining the problem is a vital step in the Design Thinking process. Without a solid problem statement, your team will lack focus, direction, and purpose in meeting your user’s needs. Although it may seem like identifying a problem is easy to accomplish, before jumping into ideation, prototyping, and testing, it is important to slow down and commit time to formulate a notable problem statement. A well formulated problem statement results in an effective solution, so take your time!

Did you know that the creators of the apps you use, the software you utilize, the websites you visit, the services you make use of, the products you love, and more have you in mind? Yes, you! Your demographics, behaviors, goals, motivations, pain points, everything that defines who you are as an individual in relation to their product or service. They’ve even gone as far as giving you a nickname and an archetype. Based on characteristics they have observed, you could be called “The Computer Nerd,” “The Influencer,” “The Solution Seeker,” or “The Planner.” One way or another, you fit into a category they have developed, called a persona.

User Personas Explained 

In user-centered design and marketing, a persona is a profile created to encapsulate user-related research. Nielsen Norman Group explains that “user personas are fictitious yet realistic representations of your target users. They act as a multipurpose tool used to drive many important product development tasks. Created out of complex user data, personas take on a format that is meaningful and creates user empathy among your development team, ensuring your users are always the focus of your efforts.” 

After researching and becoming familiar with the users of a particular product or service, marketers and user-experience professionals craft personas, grouping kindred users within one specific profile. The result is a handful of model personas that user researchers and designers can keep in mind while modifying and improving their product or service. Having a name, a face, and various descriptors, each persona resembles a single human user while representing a larger group of users. 

Persona Worksheets

Completing a persona worksheet is a great way to organize user research and develop a persona. There are countless examples of persona worksheets utilized today, but many of them are comprised of similar sections. Altogether, all persona worksheets achieve the same goal. 

I recently completed a website analysis exercise on two open-source stock imagery websites, Pexels and Unsplash. To gain an understanding of the persona creation process, I downloaded the persona worksheet pictured below and created two persona profiles. I chose to create these profiles for Pexels because Pexels offers stock imagery and footage. Pexels’s inclusion of footage likely draws more diverse users to their site and app. With this knowledge, I felt this was a good way to practice developing personas with different goals and motivations. Although they may be related, I desired for my personas to be distinct. Following are my first Pexels Personas: Sola, the Driven Designer, and Josh, the Independent Videographer. 

Pexels Persona: Driven Designer

To begin the persona creation process, I thought about myself. To understand my behavior, I needed to practice a little self-searching. Asking questions like, “why do I use Pexels?,” “what am I looking for?,” and “what do I need?” assisted me in identifying my goals, motivating factors, inhibiting factors, and possible triggers. While it took some time to get accustomed to viewing myself objectively, determining my motivation and behavior opened the doorway to pinpointing my influencers and environment. 

My first persona, modeled after myself, is a Driven Designer. This user primarily seeks imagery to include in design projects. She has access to other sources of stock imagery and can also utilize photos she already has the rights to that were taken in-house or used in previous design projects. However, this individual uses Pexels to find unique images swiftly. 

^{Pictured above: The first two sections of the Driven Designer’s user persona. “First Impressions” encompasses her demographics and direct quotes. “Motivation & Behavior” covers her goals, current journey, motivations, inhibiting factors, and possible triggers.}

Search results of her company’s paid stock imagery site contain an innumerable amount of options, making it difficult for her to find a relevant and relatable image that aligns with her vision or narrow down the endless possibilities the site offers. Searching her organization’s in-house photography may limit her because some of the photos may be targeted, outdated, overused, or unsuitable for her current project. She’s also looking for that special spark – a contemporary image that is captivating and meets her needs for creativity and beauty within her design.

Pexels helps her achieve her goals by offering just enough choices and maintaining an eccentric feel. Furthermore, Pexels is completely free. If she downloads an image and later decides not to incorporate it into her design, she’s guilt-free. If she downloads multiple images, it does not impact her or her company’s budget.

To find out more about the Driven Designer, download the full persona. 

Pexels Persona: Independent Videographer

My second persona embodies some of the people I have encountered in my field. Unlike my first persona, this persona is more straightforward with fewer underlying goals and motivations. However, this persona was much more challenging to develop because I had to contact other people, reflect on some of my colleagues, brainstorm, and research online. Some of my searches included questions like, “Why do people need stock footage?,” and “Who uses stock footage?” I found that stock footage is often sought after for space-filler content. Enter Josh, the Independent Videographer.

^{Pictured above: The first couple sections of the Independent Videographer’s user persona. “First Impressions” covers demographics and direct quotes. “Motivation & Behavior” covers his goals, current journey, motivations, inhibiting factors, and possible triggers.}

This user searches Pexels for stock footage to fulfill his goals of saving time, money, and resources and finding b-roll. He uses Pexels less often than the Driven Designer because most of his shots are preplanned. However, mid-project, he may find that something is missing, especially if the project is lengthy, warranting dynamic shots. At this point, this individual considers outsourcing footage to keep pace with his deadlines instead of putting effort into shooting new footage, which may require time, money, props, studio space, lighting, subjects, specific equipment, and more. Josh is seeking high-quality footage that he can toss into his current project timeline for a few seconds without hesitating. His relationship with Pexels is a hit-or-miss affair because there are no workarounds for the footage blending with the project, capturing his intended shots, or sustaining the quality he needs.

For more insight on the Independent Videographer, download the full persona.

Final Thoughts

You may have never thought about it before, but you likely bear a resemblance to “Nerdy Nancy,” “Focused Fred,” or another persona, developed by the user experience researchers and designers of your favorite products and services. Classifying you within a persona helps user experience professionals keep you at the forefront of their minds. It helps them remember what makes your experience significant, matters to you most, and keeps you coming back. Developing and utilizing user personas is yet another way to practice empathy in user experience design.

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.

We have all heard the idiom that references walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the first lesson that Scout learns from Atticus is to put yourself in the place of other people. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb in his skin and walk around in it,” Atticus says. Whichever way it has been phrased to you, you likely identify “stepping into someone else’s shoes” with empathy. 

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What is Empathy?

Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This is most achievable when we set aside our assumptions, labels, judgments, and preconceived notions. Empathy allows us to feel each other’s pain, gain perspective, and acquire true understanding and appreciation of one another. To remain sensitive, civil, respectful, considerate, and humane, humans must remain empathetic.

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Empathy is the most important human skill in the digital age.

– Katri Saarikivi, TEDxYouth@Kolmikulma

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Empathy in UX

In user experience design, the first stage of the Design Thinking process is “Empathize.” This stage is all about engaging the world of your user, learning about them and their experiences, and finding out their needs and challenges. Empathizing with your user can come about through multiple practices, including conducting interviews, taking surveys, performing user testing, and more. As a UX professional, empathy mapping is an additional activity you can use to engage and advocate for your end-users. 

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Empathy Mapping Explained

So, what is empathy mapping? In his Career Foundry article, Camren Browne explains that “Empathy maps are an efficient tool used by designers to not only understand user behavior but also visually communicate those findings to colleagues, uniting the team under one shared understanding of the user.” The empathy map, created by Dave Gray, is a way to gain emotional intelligence and insight from target groups like customers and users. Gray explains, “This particular tool helps teams develop deep, shared understanding and empathy for other people. People use it to help them improve customer experience, to navigate organizational politics, to design better work environments, and a host of other things.” 

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How to Empathy Map

Pictured below, an empathy map is a chart split into four quadrants with the user at the center. The quadrants can often overlap, and a user’s response may fall into multiple spaces, but the key is to pick one. Additionally, if a user’s responses resemble one another, they can be grouped and categorized.

^{Empathy Map Examples: Nielsen Norman Group, IBM, UX Knowledge Base Sketch}

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Here’s how you use each quadrant:

1. The “Says” quadrant is where you write down what the user says out loud about the product/service. This quadrant contains direct quotes. 
2. The second quadrant is called the “Thinks” quadrant. Unlike the recordings from quadrant 1, what the user thinks is implicit. Here, you gather what the user thinks, but does not say. You can derive these things through the observation of your user.
3. Next is the “Does” quadrant. This is a space to record your user’s actions. You should take note of the way the user interacts with the product/service.
4. The final space, “Feels,” contains the user’s emotional state. These items can be implicit as well, so observation is necessary. 

If you end up with an empty quadrant at the end of the exercise, that’s a clear sign to double back, do more research, and gain more insight. 

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Why Empathy Mapping is Important

In UX, empathy mapping is a great strategy to understand a user’s experiences, needs, and goals in a unique and organized way. According to IBM, “it’s important to remember that you are not your users.” Observing what a user says, thinks, does, and feels highlights possible challenges the user may be experiencing first-hand. This helps UX professionals find solutions to these challenges. 

Furthermore, empathy maps help UX professionals capture who a user is. It is an innovative way to perform research on the people or type of person who use(s) a product/service. Once you have gained a deeper understanding of your user and their needs, you can relay the information you learned to others effectively. The more understanding you and your team have, the more capable you are to meet your user’s needs. Moving forward, this helps shape your objectives and deter bias.

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Final Thoughts

User experience focuses on understanding how a user interacts with a product or service. To achieve this understanding, UX professionals must view their users as humans, not consumers. They must immerse themselves in the environments of their users, and recognize and acknowledge their perceptions, ideas, emotions, and overall interactions with the product or service. Empathy mapping is a nuanced, yet powerful way to hear what a user has to say, gather their thoughts, observe their actions, and capture their feelings. It is a fruitful method to onset Design Thinking and practice empathy.

Take a moment to think about a website you visit frequently. How does it make you feel? Do you appreciate the navigation, colors, typography, and functionality? Why or why not? What aspects of the site meet your needs? Which of your needs are not met? If you haven’t figured it out by now, it’s time to get in touch with our feelings. 

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Emotional Design, UX, and UI

In my last blog post, I briefly touched on emotional design. I explained that designing a product or service requires the designer to consider the emotions their product/service may evoke in their user. Emotions affect a user’s views, interactions, and value of a product or service. People are driven by the way things make them feel. This idea rings true for the websites you frequent, as well as the sites you no longer visit. 

When you visit a website, two things come into play: 

1. The overall functionality and practicality of the website, also known as the User Experience (UX).
2. The look and feel of the website, known as the User Interface (UI).

These two things often overlap. They affect how you view and experience the site and impact your emotional response.

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“Users perceive objects that are aesthetically pleasing as being more effective.”

— Don Norman, Emotional Design

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Assessing Your Emotional Response

To assess your emotional response to a product, service, website, etc. you can formulate sentences using the following format: 

________ makes me FEEL _________ because my NEED for __________ is OR is not being met. 

You may benefit from using a feelings inventory list and a needs inventory list for further assistance in completing your sentences. 

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My Website Analysis Exercise

Recently, I utilized these tools to walk through a website analysis exercise. I chose to analyze my emotional responses to two websites I visit often, Pexels and Unsplash. Both of these websites are resources for free stock imagery. Photographers and artists can upload their work to both sites, which creates a profile for them, showcasing their work and helping them generate a following. Meanwhile, users can search for completely free, high-resolution imagery to download instantly and incorporate into their projects, including commercial ones. As a graphic designer, I frequent both of these sites, but, for some reason, I have yet to cut one of the sites out. My analyses revealed that, although the sites are very similar, there are minute differences between the two that affect my use of either site. 

Pexels vs. Unsplash

Through twenty FEEL-NEED statements (ten per site), I found that I visit Pexels when I am seeking inspiration. Alternatively, Unsplash is my go-to when I want to remain productive and efficient in my workflow. Pexels is often my destination when I have more flexibility and want to address my needs for artistry, creativity, inspiration, and spontaneity. Unsplash meets my needs of maintaining order and organization and staying calm and focused while working. I consistently benefit from both websites. However, I may favor one website over the other depending on the flexibility of my schedule, the type of project I am working on, and the intensity of my current work session. 

Pexels for Pleasure

My use of Pexels and Unsplash correlates directly with the functionality and aesthetic features of both sites. Pexels fulfills my need for beauty and expression by utilizing a four-column layout that spans the entire width of the page. It also features strong contrast between its dark menu bar and light background. Additionally, Pexels’ homepage incorporates both stock photography and active videography, which sparks my curiosity and increases my engagement with the site. As you scroll through the homepage, the photo blocks transition in color ever so slightly, while videos play on a loop. This makes me feel refreshed because my needs for attention to detail and distinctiveness are met. I can easily be immersed by the Pexels site due to highly captivating imagery.

Unsplash for Business

Unsplash’s homepage is similar to Pexels’s, using a column layout with a continuous scroll, housed underneath a full-bleed search bar. However, there are only three columns in the layout, leaving room on both sides for whitespace. This helps maintain balance and structure. The site is a bit more stark and bland, maintaining the use of a light color in the menu bar and background. Furthermore, the featured photos transition randomly, and there are no stock videos on this site. When I visit Unsplash, it’s strictly business; no distraction. When hovering over an Unsplash photo, the download button is prominent, followed closely by the like and add buttons. I search for what I need, download it swiftly, and return to my project. This happens instinctively.

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Final Thoughts

So why do we choose Amazon over eBay? Google over Bing? Youtube over Vimeo? Or both sites at varying times? The interface and experience of the website feed directly into our feelings and evoke emotional responses. If you have a positive experience with the site, or it appeals to you aesthetically, or both, that website is likely to become a staple site in your browsing history.