Designing with Information and Empathy: Delivering Human Information to Designers

ABSTRACT

Current demographic trends such as increasing ethnic diversity and the ageing population indicate the importance for designers to appreciate and assess a wide variety of human capabilities, needs and wants.

Work is being undertaken within the Inclusive Design Research Group to investigate how one might effectively communicate a wide range of people-based information, not only meeting designer's data requirements but also enhancing empathy with those being considered. A real-world case study is described to illustrate how rich user data in its many forms (that is, ‘human information’ as categorized by the authors) was captured and communicated to designers.

This research is being carried out towards the development of an online resource which will help designers organize and interrogate issues relating to end users more effectively during the design process, and assist them in forming new connections and insights at the front end of concept creation.

KEYWORDS:

• empathy
• human information
• tools
• resources
• communication

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Chris McGinley

Biographies

Chris McGinley is a Scottish-born designer, researcher and writer based in London. His academic qualifications include a MEng from the University of Strathclyde and a MA from the Royal College of Art. He worked in the Helen Hamlyn Centre (HHC), based in the Royal College of Art for five years, where he produced inclusive design solutions for companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Osaka Gas and the Thomas Pocklington Trust. He has tutored and led workshops on people-centred design in the UK, Japan and the USA, and has exhibited graphic and product design work internationally. He is currently undertaking a PhD at the Human Centred Design Institute in Brunel University, where he also tutors, developing resources to help designers gain insight, inspiration and information about those they design for and with.

Hua Dong

Hua Dong leads the inclusive design research group, and is a founding member of the Human-centred Design Institute. Her academic qualifications include a BEng and MA from Tongji University, China and a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Before joining Brunel University as a Lecturer in Design, Hua worked as a postdoctoral Research Associate at the Cambridge Engineering Design Centre and the Helen Hamlyn Centre at the Royal College of Art. She has won a number of awards for her academic achievements, essay writing, design and leadership. She is a winner of the ASME essay competition 2003, an editor of the book Design for Inclusivity (Ashgate, 2007) and a UK NESTA Crucible awardee (2008).