Donald Norman describes the characteristics of everyday objects and dos and don’ts in product design. Even though I am mainly interested in human-centered design I find great inspiration in his approach. This might be because eventually all products are designed by and for humans.
“Appropriate, human-centered design requires that all the considerations be addressed from the very beginning, with each of the relevant design disciplines working together as a team.”
(Norman, 1988, xiv)
Norman explains that the standard procedure of achieving something always starts with an idea of what the achievement actually is, the goal. Then one has to take action, either by doing something by oneself or by manipulating someone or something else. Afterward, one looks at what has been done to assure the goal has been achieved. This procedure consists of the two main steps “execution” (doing something) and “evaluation” (checking). But what if the initial goal is not easily identified nor achieved? “Goals do not state precisely what to do.” (Norman, 1988, 46) Becoming more empathetic, to feel with someone, is a very desirable aim. But it does not tell us how to get there. Let alone how to get to the state where one does it intuitively; without much of an effort and with the awareness of how valuable this skill is. Norman offers a reasonable solution for this dilemma: “To lead to actions goals must be transformed into specific statements of what is to be done, statements that I call intentions. A goal is something to be achieved, often vaguely stated. An intention is a specific action taken to get to the goal.”(Norman, 1988, 46) Hence, what follows upon the goal of becoming more empathetic, is an intention to actually do something in order to achieve this goal. But what is it, that should be done? I would like to answer this question with the “beEmpathy” framework: one should actively listen to one’s interlocutor, observe his or her emotional well-being, take on his or her perspective by recognising the emotions, and eventually care for the other person with compassion. But even this simple description is not just promptly executed. At this point, Norman would probably refer to a light switch or a door. Pressing a switch to put on a light or pushing a handle to open a door, are actions that are deeply internalised and should happen automatically. But what about those bars of switches that all look the same but each regulates a different lamp? What about those doors that need labels to tell people if they should be pushed or pulled? Not even the most obvious things always follow the same principle. Empathy can have varying shapes depending on different people and situations. But just like pressing a switch, empathy is a skill that can be learned. Just like every skill, it will be improved, and eventually internalised once it is practised regularly. And since Osler and Solhaug state that empathy is important in all human interactions, one doesn’t have to worry about sufficient possibilities for practising.
Norman explains that there exist two forms of knowledge. “Declarative knowledge” is the knowledge of something. It “is easy to write down and to teach” (Norman, 1988, 57) and includes rules and facts. “Procedural knowledge” is just the opposite. It is the knowledge of how to do things, it “is difficult or impossible to write down and difficult to teach. It is best taught by demonstration and best learned through practice.” (Norman, 1988, 57-58) The “beEmpathy” framework equips me and my design process with the needed declarative knowledge by providing a fundamental understanding of empathy. By using it to develop a materialised project I will create the basis for its procedural knowledge. When using my design people will be able to experience, practice and eventually understand the empathy skill. Norman explains everyday life actions as actions that are routinised and do not need a lot of thinking ahead. Interestingly, besides brushing teeth he also names meeting friends as an example for everyday life things. What makes this so intriguing, is that it actually means that everyone already has experienced empathy. This highlights the focus of my project: to design something that enables children to recall these experiences, specify their knowledge, and acknowledging their capacities more purposefully, more aware, and more frequently.
To achieve the desired goal it is beneficial to make the two main steps “execution” and “evaluation” visible. Through that, people will not only become aware of their possibilities but also of the consequences of their doing. (Norman, 1988, 197-198) Norman provides seven principles that a designer can use to turn a challenging task into a simple one. Especially three of them are relevant for the production of my design project.
The first rule “Use both knowledge in the world and knowledge in the head” shows that it is easier to learn or execute a task when one can draw on external knowledge about it. It should be easily applicable by demonstrating the expected effects of the conducted actions. Furthermore, it should support knowledge that has already been internalised and is therefore even more efficient. A well-developed conceptual model helps the user to understand a product. “This requires that the principles of operation be observable (…) and that the visible parts of the device reflect the current state of the device (…).” (Norman, 1988, 189)
What I take from this principle is that I first have to establish why empathy matters. This information should be made understandable and adaptable. The children need to be able to relate to empathy with their own experiences. Also, it is easier to follow an action or a situation if one gets immediate feedback on what is happening. This is possible through active listening (step 1: I hear you) and observation. The second step “I see you” of the “beEmpathy” framework focuses on non-verbal signs of communication that can reveal a person’s emotional well-being. When interacting with each other, one has to be very careful. Mistakes and violations can’t be made undone. But we can learn from them and due to the many practise situations they can eventually be avoided.
The second principle “Simplify the structure of tasks” builds upon the first by explaining that tasks should not be difficult and complexity should be structured. Norman refers to psychology by explaining that humans can only follow five active thoughts at the same time. “Here is where information in the world is important, to remind us of what can be done and how to do it. Limitations on attention are also severe; the system should help by minimizing interruption, by providing aids to allow for recovery of the exact status of the operations that were interrupted.” (Norman, 1988, 191) Besides keeping the task simple, things should be made visible to allow feedback and conscious behaviour.
In my design project, I not only have to establish knowledge about empathy but I also have to make it visible. The knowledge about how to actually be empathetic should be explained in a comprehensible and usable way. Moreover, the given circumstances must be turned into a safe space that allows both the chance to open up and to listen actively.
The fifth principle “Exploit the power of constraints, both natural and artificial” asks to “[u]se constraints so that the user feels as if there is only one possible thing to do - the right thing, of course.” (Norman, 1988, 199) Careful design based on correct mappings and natural constraints is crucial to reduce unwanted alternatives.
This rule describes the desired outcome of my design project: To make children aware of their empathy skills. To make them trust their emotional intelligence to guide them through interactions with others and to develop confident and complex identities. (Self-) Empathy has to become the only right thing to do.
References:
Donald A. Norman. 1988. The design of everyday things.
Trond Solhaug, Audrey Osler. 2018, Intercultural empathy among Norwegian students:
an inclusive citizenship perspective. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 22,
no.1, 89-110.