Empathy
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use empathy to design inclusive products.
Key learning points
- Empathy means understanding and feeling what users experience, allowing designers to create more accessible products.
- Simulating impairments helps designers create inclusive solutions by experiencing these difficulties firsthand.
- Task analysis involves breaking down actions into steps to identify obstacles, which helps designers simplify processes.
- Adaptive products can be adjusted or customised to meet the individual needs of users.
- Assistive products are tools designed to help perform tasks they may find difficult.
Keywords
Empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings, thoughts, or experiences of another person
Inclusive design - designing products that as many people as possible can use
Task analysis - breaking down a task into individual steps
Common misconception
Designers can create successful products based on their preferences and abilities.
To have empathy for someone helps designers create better products because they understand users' needs, challenges, and feelings, leading to more useful and user-friendly designs.
Teacher tip
For task B, give pupils examples of game controllers and allow them to simulate mobility impairment while creating their design.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What are anthropometrics?
Q2.There are three important percentiles in anthropometric data: 5th, 50th and ...
Q3.Complete the definition of ergonomics: the interaction between people and the they use.
Q4.What are existing products?
Q5.Why is it important to consider different user needs when designing a product?
Q6.Why are pavement ramps designed for public spaces?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Empathy is the ability to understand and share the __________, thoughts, or experiences of another person.
Q2.Which of the following best explains why empathy is essential in the design process?
Q3.How can designers empathise with users with disabilities?
Q4.Which of the following is an accurate definition of task analysis?
Q5.Designing products that as many people as possible can use is known as what?
Q6.In what ways can designers achieve inclusive design?
To help you plan your 8 design and technology lesson on: Empathy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 design and technology lesson on: Empathy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 design and technology lessons from the Ergonomic design: accessible controllers unit, dive into the full secondary design and technology curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.