Reflections on empathic design: a K-16 perspective

Abstract

This paper offers a response to the article entitled, “Empathic design: imagining the cognitive and emotional learner experience” (Tracey and Hutchinson, Educational Technology Research and Development 67(5):1259–1272, 2019). This review examines the recent published study on empathic design in consideration of practical applications for K-16 settings. The case study explores the alignment of the designers’ sensitivities with the learner perceptions of a web-based collaborative tool, the Virtual Hospital, developed for health professionals. Aspects of the study and empathic design can be useful in the development and evaluation of similar tools across all educational levels. The noted flexibility in the design discussions and the continued focus towards student affect are two facets which could support the development of educational technology tools. One noted limitation when applying the findings to K-16 students is that the collaborative program in the study was designed for health professionals with advanced degrees. Two suggestions are offered to make a comparable project more suitable for the K-16 environment. First, build an evaluative piece that contains an objective assessment to measure collaboration and second, include the teacher perspective in the design and evaluative process. The reviewed study offers an excellent blueprint for further work with empathic design.