ROI Case File No.406: Design Beginning with Empathy
Design Beginning with Empathy
Chapter 1: The Voice of Waiting Customers
"We're making our customers wait too long."
The sales director at GlobalTech opened with this statement. In his hand, printouts of customer inquiry emails.
"Our made-to-order business model means customization takes 1-2 months. Of course, some projects require that. But we're making even customers who want standard products wait just as long."
He spread customer feedback survey results across the table.
"'Why must I wait so long when I need it now?' 'If it's a standard item, shouldn't you have stock?' 'Other companies delivered immediately'—these voices are increasing year by year."
Frustration shadowed the director's expression.
"Top-down instructions came from management: For existing products and standard-size materials, sell via EC site and provide with short lead times. Contribute to sales and reduce delivery times—achieve both, they commanded."
"However," he paused, "we have no experience building EC sites. What to start with, what customers truly need—we don't even clearly understand that."
Instructions were clear, but customers' true needs remained invisible. That was GlobalTech's current reality.
Chapter 2: Empathy as a Starting Point
"For this case, an EMPATHY model approach is optimal."
Claude drew five steps on the whiteboard: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test—the basic design thinking process.
"The EMPATHY model," I began explaining, "is a method that designs solutions starting from standing in customers' shoes and deeply understanding their emotions and behaviors."
"Many companies start with 'what should we make?' But the EMPATHY model starts with 'what are customers feeling?'" Gemini supplemented.
The sales director tilted his head. "We've already collected customer voices through surveys..."
"That's an important first step," I answered. "However, what customers 'say' and what they 'truly need' don't always align. The EMPATHY model excavates those deeper needs."
[Step 1: Empathize - Entering the Customer's World]
"First, conduct customer interviews," Claude proposed. "But don't ask directly 'what do you want?'"
"Then what do we ask?"
"Ask about customers' 'experiences,'" I answered. "When they decided to purchase GlobalTech products, what process did they follow? At what point did they feel difficulty? While waiting, what were they thinking?—Have them narrate such concrete experiences chronologically."
Gemini organized: "Simultaneously, interview management and frontline staff. Why does delivery take time? Where's the distinction between standard and custom products? What's the current inventory management situation?—Collect internal perspectives too."
The director began taking notes. "So we 'empathize' from both external and internal perspectives."
[Step 2: Define - Verbalizing the True Problem]
"Based on collected information, define the problem," Claude explained.
"Director, imagine customer interviews. Behind the complaint of 'long delivery time,' what do you think lies?"
The director thought before answering. "Probably... anxiety about project delays? If materials don't arrive, they can't proceed to the next step. Delivery delays affect the customer's own evaluation."
"Exactly right," I nodded. "What customers want isn't simply 'products arriving quickly' but 'reducing overall project risk.'"
"Then the problem definition becomes," Gemini wrote on the whiteboard:
'Customers want to reliably obtain standard products with predictable delivery times to mitigate project schedule risks.'
"Whether this definition is correct," I added, "requires showing it to customers for confirmation: 'Is this your true challenge?'"
[Step 3: Ideate - Expanding Solutions]
With the problem defined, we moved to the ideation stage.
"What's important here," Claude emphasized, "is not narrowing down to 'EC site' as the solution from the start."
The director looked surprised. "But management's instruction was 'sell via EC site.'"
"That's one means," I answered. "But the true purpose is 'providing standard products with short lead times,' correct? Methods to achieve that purpose might not be limited to EC sites."
Gemini began listing ideas. "For example, publish a standard product catalog online but accept orders via phone or fax. Or create a system sharing standard product inventory status in real-time with major customers. Or have distributors hold standard product inventory."
"And EC sites are also an option," Claude added. "What's important is examining multiple options and evaluating pros and cons of each."
The director pondered. "True, EC sites take time to build. We could start with an online catalog and phone orders, gauge response, then evolve to an EC site—a phased approach."
"Excellent thinking," I smiled. "That's the essence of the Ideate step. Remove fixed ideas and expand possibilities."
[Step 4: Prototype - Making It Small and Concrete]
"We move to concretizing ideas," Gemini explained.
"Let's adopt the phased approach you proposed. First, select 30 standard products and publish their information—specs, pricing, inventory status—on a simple web page."
"Then clearly indicate 'Contact us here' with phone number and email. In other words, information online, ordering traditional—a hybrid model."
The director asked, "That's a prototype version?"
"Exactly," I answered. "In the Prototype step, we don't aim for perfection. Give the idea form with minimum features. Then have customers actually use it and gather feedback."
Claude supplemented: "Page design doesn't need to be elaborate either. Product name, photo, specifications, price, inventory status—if these five pieces of information are clearly separated, that's sufficient."
"Construction period?"
"Two weeks," Gemini answered immediately. "Extract information from the existing product database and create simple HTML pages. Don't spend more time than that. It's a prototype."
[Step 5: Test - Gaining Learning]
The final step was validation.
"Publish the prototype version to a limited audience and inform 10 major customers," I proposed. "Then observe the following points:"
"Which products are being viewed? Have inquiries increased? Has the period from order to delivery shortened? Has customer satisfaction improved?—Record these through both numbers and interviews."
"And what's important," Claude emphasized, "is carefully recording what didn't work well too. 'This information was missing,' 'This expression was unclear,' 'Inventory status update frequency was too low'—learning from failures connects to next improvements."
The director's eyes lit up. "So based on learning from this prototype, we determine specifications for a full-scale EC site."
"Exactly right," I nodded. "The EMPATHY model doesn't produce the perfect answer from the start—it creates answers through dialogue with customers."
Chapter 3: The Chain of Empathy
The sales director gazed at the five steps on the whiteboard.
"This process doesn't end after going through once."
"No," I answered. "Learning from Test returns to the Empathize stage again. Observe customers' new reactions, redefine problems, improve ideas, create new prototypes, test again—repeating this spiral brings solutions closer to customer needs."
Gemini added: "And record what you learn in each cycle. 'This type of customer prioritizes price over delivery time,' 'This product requires detailed technical specifications'—such patterns accumulate."
"That accumulation," Claude smiled, "becomes GlobalTech's 'customer understanding database.'"
The director nodded deeply. "Understood. I'll start with interviews of 10 major customers."
Chapter 4: The Power of Alignment
After he left, Claude said quietly, "The EMPATHY model is a beautiful method. Starting from 'empathy' rather than technology or efficiency."
"Yes," I answered. "Many business solutions start from 'what we can do.' But the EMPATHY model starts from 'what customers are feeling.' This difference in sequence is critically important."
"Why?" Gemini asked.
"Because," I looked out the window, "what customers truly need often hasn't been verbalized even by customers themselves. Behind the request to 'shorten delivery time' lies the essential need to 'reduce project risk.' That only becomes visible through empathy."
"And," Claude continued, "the solution addressing that essential need might differ from initial assumptions."
"Exactly. GlobalTech was instructed to 'build an EC site.' But through the EMPATHY model, a different path emerged—the phased approach. That path became visible precisely because they listened earnestly to customer voices."
Three months later, a report arrived from GlobalTech.
After publishing the prototype online catalog, 8 of 10 major customers actually used it. Average period from standard product order to delivery shortened from 2 months to 2 weeks.
And based on customer feedback, specifications for a full-scale EC site were also taking shape.
Design that began with empathy was definitely taking form.
"Start solutions from empathy. Align with customer experiences and discover essential needs. Then prototype small, learn, and repeat improvements. What the EMPATHY model teaches is that sincere process of creating answers through dialogue with customers."
