I find empathy an important of my life especially when interacting with other people who are from different backgrounds or situations. It allows me to see that some people struggles are not equal and you should treat people with compassion. This has really helped me when working in larger groups of people to be more socially aware of everyone’s feelings. This will make everyone feel more comfortable and productive.
When a company is able to use empathy when building software they have a much better chance at understanding the problem they are trying to fix. Sometimes it takes someone who really understands the problem to be able to point out a great solution. When using empathic design to solve problems they are also a lot more likely to out perform other companies. This is because it makes the product more relatable to the consumer.
It's important when working on a group to have the ability be able to listen and understand each other. When everyone feels comfortable they are able to communicate and be a lot more productive. It is also beneficial to understand when you can help out another teammate. These are both really helpful for being more of a team member and being more productive.
I have been a graphic designer for large scale companies for a while now and have seen many examples of empathy helping the team of designers. One huge example of this would be when designing a huge trade-show booth that would encompasses multi companies and brands identifies. By being able to listen and understand each teams brand mission and guidelines we were able to come together and deliver an awesome project. At the end we were better for coming together then individually designing it which would have only worked if we were able to work together with compassion.
When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?
To be honest it can be difficult to be empathic to people who are not in return. Having patience and understanding will even help understand their frustration. It helps to be the bigger person and keep things professional. Even when people are not respecting your space.