Empathy in Software
07 Aug 2023
Over the years working with developers/ designers (mostly web fullstack) there is 1 critical skill that seperates an average developer/ designer from a really good developer/ designer. Although, communication ranks very high, it's not it. It's "empathy" - the ability to imagine how another person is feeling and so understand his/her mood.
Can the developer put himself/herself into the user's shoes and feel what the user will feel when interacting with the feature he/she is developing? Can the developer gauge the frustration level if the feature is slow? Can the designer feel what the user will feel when presented with a red alert box for something which is trivial?
In the end, anyone can get the work done. But, getting it done with the end-user in mind is what seperates work that is well thought out and given it's due respect.