Using empathy to create better ideas

Creatives have a difficult job. They are asked to come up with ideas that will work for others. It's a task that requires a lot of empathy and observation skills.

It's strange if you think about it. It's like deciding what another will eat at a bar, or what s/he will dress for a party. Not easy if you don't know the other person. We know this is a basic of marketing, but how many of you do apply it in your daily job?

Empathy should be an essential skill for anyone working in this industry. I know sometimes it's easier to just go with the flow and forget about what the target group wants or needs. That's why we compiled some questions you can use to see if you are on track or you should be adding more empathy to your ideas.

Empathy questions:
- Am I creating this idea for myself or others?
- What might the user like about this idea? What might s/he dislike?
- Did I include someone from the target group in the process? Would be good to do it now?
- Why does this work for the target group?
- What feedback would I give if I was one of the potential users?

You can create whatever empathy questions that work for your project in particular. Just have them visible somewhere so you can use them when needed. 

Don't be afraid to use them, it might make you redo some parts of your idea, but it's all for good.