Summary
Empathy sticks with you. Applying empathy as a product designer will help keep your customers at the forefront of product design. Ross Smith is the Director of Engineering at Microsoft, and he discusses how he uses stories to engender empathy.
Key Insights
-
•
Empathy is essential for understanding customer needs in product development.
-
•
Storytelling can effectively communicate customer experiences to inspire teams.
-
•
Combining stories with data provides a more holistic view of customer feedback.
-
•
Engaging directly with customers can yield invaluable insights for product improvement.
-
•
Empathy maps can help visualize customer perspectives and pain points.
-
•
Using your own product regularly improves understanding of user experience.
-
•
Establishing feedback channels is crucial for continuous customer engagement.
-
•
Celebrating successes reinforces an organization’s focus on customer empathy.
-
•
Facilitating ride-alongs can deepen engineers' insights into customer interactions.
-
•
Building a community around your product can enhance customer relations.
Notable Quotes
"Empathy sticks with you and transforms how people think about their work."
"Stories are a powerful way for organizations to learn about their customers."
"Every department in an organization can resonate with a customer story."
"Not every story will be positive, so we focus on the inspiring ones for motivation."
"When you hear customer experiences, you feel empowered to improve your work."
"Empathy allows different disciplines to work together in a focused way."
"Watching customers use your product provides insights you can’t get from data alone."
"Direct feedback can help prioritize features that really matter to users."
"If you can get non-engineers to use your pre-release version, you’ll get more relevant feedback."
"Celebrating your team's successes fosters a culture that values customer experiences."
More Videos
"Design has been in the DNA of MailChimp really since day one."
Jacqui FreyFlow and Superfluidity for Design Orgs
November 7, 2018
"To foster engagement, using emojis and gifs can add the tone and body language that are often missed in text."
Laura Gatewood Laine ProkayBeyond Buzzwords: Adding Heart to Effective Slack Communication
September 23, 2024
"The product leadership doesn't see the value in research and they're thinking about shutting the research team down."
Johanna KollmannInsights-Driven Product Strategy: Get your Research to Count
December 6, 2022
"Take advantage of our sponsor sessions because they are really high quality and free."
Bria AlexanderDay 3 Welcome
September 25, 2024
"When you explore lots of different ideas, you're going to understand the context better."
Billy CarlsonIdeation tips for Product Managers
December 6, 2022
"It’s crucial to bridge connections between different teams to avoid siloed insights and foster collaboration."
Catherine DubutBridging Physical and Digital Spaces: Approaches to Retail Service Design
March 18, 2021
"The values we uphold guide how we experience and influence team dynamics."
Kim Holt Emma Wylds Pearl Koppenhaver Maisee XiongA Salesforce Panel Discussion on Values-Driven DesignOps
September 8, 2022
"Almost every product manager or developer... has a bad story about working with designers."
Adrian HowardSturgeon’s Biases
September 25, 2024
"I've learned to ask, to be invited to key stakeholder meetings."
Asia HoePartnering with Product: A Journey from Junior to Senior Design
November 29, 2023
