UX Designer John McRee talks about how empathy can drive us to emotion, but that we shouldn’t stop there. We must be driven from emotion to action to make use of our empathy.
Empathy allows us to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes - to imagine what they’re feeling and respond emotionally. In today’s world we’re encouraged to empathize more than ever before, and our opportunities to engage in other people’s emotional life events are more frequent than ever. How should we think about these things, and how can we channel those emotions into real action that makes a difference?
About the speaker
John McRee has been using empathy to design user experiences since 1999. Acquiring and mastering user-centered design (UCD) methodologies along the way, he has designed digital stuff on a variety of platforms old and new including web sites, CD-ROM-based experiences, shrink-wrapped desktop software, and mobile applications.
In his role as a Director of UX at Universal Mind, John specializes in design process management, digital strategy, user research, persona development, information architecture and interaction design. He has had the pleasure of working with telecommunications organizations, desktop publishing companies, financial institutions, network security agencies and companies within a variety of other verticals.
When John isnât working, he can be found spending time with his son, snowboarding, playing the banjo, or backpacking his way across Colorado.
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