Empathy

Institute of Design at Stanford (2017) denotes empathy is the centrepiece of human-centred design process. Tom Barrett (2016) explains the term empathy in a touching way that is it is a process of understanding which is ‘closer to someone else’s truth’. I believe it is the responsibility and effort of the designer to understand the people needs and what is meaningful to them. My counselling ability for students also derived from this empathetic approach. During the counselling I would able to pulse my students feelings and emotions which act as a driving force to provide further comfort and suggestions for their problems. There are various ways to empathize with people including observing the context of their lives and engaging with people (conversation more than interview). Certainly, empathy is a quality which can be practiced to attain deeper levels of understanding and it is significant to best support students with any learning difference or special needs (Broomhead, 2013).

The below provided exercise stands for students living with learning differences in the mainstream setting. The reasonable adjustment should be made to accommodate all students who attend classes in mainstream setting. A well planned physical environment is crucial to enhance the learning experience of a child with special needs. To acknowledge the needs of a particular child I will chart out the emotional and physical needs of student’s by applying empathy mapping tool. Empathy mapping is an activity which will help to develop a better understanding of other person’s circumstances from their viewpoints, behaviours and needs (Knox, 2014). Below provided an example of empathy mapping where I attempt to analyse my students’ needs through their eyes (modification in the classroom learning space) to achieve a better learning experience. This activity helped me to visualise and further explore more related issues by engaging with creative thinking.