Research and Analysis

Empathizing: The First Step in Design Thinking

In this lesson, the focus is on empathizing as the first step in the design thinking process. 

The speaker discusses analyzing competition through personal experiences and surveys to identify usability issues and areas for improvement in various platforms. Empathizing is a critical step in design thinking, where personal and user experiences are analyzed to improve platform usability. The speaker compares the signup processes and usability of platforms like Netflix, Prime, and Disney+, highlighting the ease and frustrations encountered. A survey conducted with 10 participants provided insights into users' thoughts, feelings, and experiences across different stages of using these platforms. Key pain points identified include frustrating sign-up processes, lack of relevant suggestions, and difficulties in canceling subscriptions.

Summary

1. Empathizing: The first step in design thinking, focusing on understanding users' experiences through personal use and surveys.
2. Competition Analysis: The speaker compared personal experiences using Netflix, Prime, and Disney+, evaluating their usability in various aspects like sign-up, login, and search functions.
3. Usability Chart: A chart was created to grade platforms based on specific actions such as logging in, signing up, searching, and watching movies, highlighting strengths and weaknesses.
4. Sign-Up Experiences: Netflix's sign-up process was found to be tedious and frustrating due to multiple steps and a required credit card, while Prime offered a quick and straightforward process.
5. Survey Methodology: A survey with 10 participants mirrored the speaker's experience, providing data on users' thoughts, feelings, and comments during different stages of using the platforms.
6. Key Pain Points: Identified issues included an overwhelming amount of content on homepages, frustrating sign-up processes, lack of relevant suggestions, and difficulties in canceling subscriptions.
7. Empathy Chart: This tool was used to map out and understand the users' journey, pinpointing where the experience was smooth and where it was frustrating.
8. Design Improvements: Insights from the usability analysis and empathy chart were used to make informed design decisions aimed at enhancing user experience.
9. Highlighted Issues for Focus: Specific areas such as simplifying the sign-up process, improving the relevance of suggestions, and making reviews clearer were identified as primary targets for improvement.
10. Future Steps: The lesson concluded with a plan to further explore the target audience in the next session, aiming to refine and implement the identified improvements.