One “trick” I have noticed in many movies is the writer has something “bad” happen to the main character very early in the film. This is intended to provoke a sympathetic response from the audience – and, optimally, an empathetic one. Because, if the audience empathizes with a character, then the viewer becomes more engaged and involved in the “hero’s journey” – they share the aspirations and goals of the lead and when the hero “wins”, the audience does as well.
I content that there are two masterful examples of this in two of my favorite films. The first is in the original Star Wars, and it’s when Luke Skywalker is told by his aunt and uncle he cannot leave and follow his dreams at the Academy – Luke is facing the same obstacle so many of us have had, which is the day-to-day responsibilities of life. He wants to leave, he can’t leave… and we empathize. We all have some hopes for a better life in some way, and we feel for Luke. He is Us, and when he “escapes” his responsibilities he is able to become the hero he dreamed of being… and so are we.
The second masterstroke in this regard is the recent (and wonderful) Pixar movie UP. We see Carl Fredericksen live almost his entire life in a 10-minute sequence that shows how his and his wife Ellie’s hopes and dreams were defeated by the day-to-day aspects of life (the car’s tires need replacing, the roof is destroyed in a storm, they are unable to have children). And then
SPOILER!
Ellie dies. Whatever happens for the rest of that movie, you CARE about Carl, even though he looks like an Easter Island head in profile. THAT is fantastic writing.
So, how does this apply to user experience design, the art of making products and systems that service the needs of users far and wide? The same way that empathy matters to these movies, it should matter when we create these designs for our customers. Empathy can come from the applied use of personas, created from user research. Personas detail all the aspects that matter when it comes to the users of your systems. They are, to a very large extent, your characters.
When you CARE about your users (as represented by personas) you focus more, and spend more time putting yourself “in the place” of your users. And this is not just something that the UX professionals should do… Personas should be promoted throughout the development and product organization, and when it is I have found that the same empathy takes hold with other team members. The product is being designed for SOMEONE… and people work with a purpose.
Now, some level-setting: just as the contrivance of having bad things happen to your hero in the first 10 pages of the movie script doesn’t always work, the notion of propagating your personas to all your development team may not work either. But, in my experience, it’s definitely work using it inside the UX circle, because the more you empathize with your well-rounded “characters,” the better your product will end up being.
