How this human-centred connection will help you produce a superior product for your customers or clients.
Who would have thought that emotions would contribute to better innovation and business success? Yet that’s exactly what researchers have found; the best ideas and solutions come from better emotional connections.
Empathy is now pretty much universally recognised as an integral part of the innovation process and a foundation for creative development.
A prerequisite for solving “wicked problems”
The design thinking approach to innovation, as popularised by Stanford d.school and the global design firm IDEO, has developed the concept of empathy to make it inseparable from the process. Design thinking is a process widely used by businesses today to come up with new products and services. Leading innovative companies such as Apple and Google use design thinking on a day-to-day basis.
The process entails looking at a challenge that may appear to have no clear solution (known in design circles as a wicked problem), identifying the underlying issue, then trying to understand the different perspectives and needs related to this issue.
The designer will initially identify the desires and needs of the users and then use a prototyping process to develop products, systems and services that best meet these needs.
To read more on some tips to help you start emotionally connecting to achieve more creative and effective outcomes, you can read the full article on Human Resources Media Online >
