The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts and experience of another person from within the other person’s frame of reference.
difference (n.) \dif-er-uhns\
A point or way in which people or things are not the same.
Graduate Technical Methods Seminar in Inclusive Design, which understands empathy as a tool for acknowledging and addressing difference between the designer and user. The relationship between designer and user is inevitably marked by difference; in most cases, the designer’s lived identity and experiences are different than those of the user for which they design. These differences may be the direct or indirect result of language, race, sex, ability and physiology, among other factors. This difference is unavoidable, but should not seen as restrictive. Inclusive design requires difference to be acknowledged, understood and bridged.
The seminar uses its participants as its case studies: throughout the semester, students alternatively assume both the roles of user and designer, to understand difference and action empathy among the group. We first learn to understand and articulate our own differences and how they impact our relationships to space. Through introspection, vulnerability, and ultimately empathy, students work in pairs to assimilate these differences and design with them in mind.