Page 79 - The Design Thinking Playbook

Tinder is an example of three core properties of empathy in UX design: How can the love and passion for a product win over the users?

1. Personal bond: The credo of Lingscars.com is probably the opposite of simplicity. Ling Valentine lives for cars, for afford-
One picture per page and a simple interaction possibility ensures able leasing, and especially for her customers. Her start-up came into being in 2000 when she realized
a personal and self-contained UX. The process is efficient, and the she was far more capable of operating the business than her husband. Her recipe for success is to let an
service can be called up anywhere. If there is an interest, it is even emotional relationship emerge, which is of fundamental importance if you want to sell cars successfully.
possible to obtain more information about the potential match with a Most major leasing companies cannot offer this customer experience. To achieve that, Ling broke all design
click. rules. Her Web site radiates powerful colors, different fonts, and unique graphics. This approach attracts
hundreds of thousands of new users to the Web site every month. Lingscars.com was described by Man-
2. Motivation: agement Today as “the most cluttered Web site we’ve ever seen.” She won awards for the ugliest Web
Because a match comes about only if both searchers signal their site of all time and recognition for the large number of visitors. Ling is close to her customers, whether in
interest, users quickly undergo moments of happiness. Such moments stunts in which she appears or through her presence on blogs and the social networks.
have a strongly motivating impact and ensure long-term customer
loyalty (hook effect; see Chapter 1.1). Ling lives from viral marketing and the “word of mouth” of her satisfied customers. She addresses her
customers directly. Her Chinese military truck—equipped with a huge rocket and the ad for Ling’s Cars—is
3. Trust: a daily attraction for drivers passing it on the highway. She passes on her simple and cost-effective mar-
The chat function strengthens the trust of users in the app. The virtual keting 1:1 to her customers with attractive conditions. Her customers love her for it.
date turns out to be not only surface sham—there is actually a possi-
bility for users to arrange to meet for a quick coffee around the corner. The cultural differences in the perception of design and how design thinking is used in the respective
culture itself must always be taken into account.
Good UX designers need to know how user groups come in contact
with specific technologies and why they interact with them. For
responding appropriately to users’ emotions, however, empathy is
more important. Before beginning with the design of a product, we
as designers must be in contact with the users in social networks or
in the real world in order to get an authentic picture of their behavior
and needs.

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