Estimated reading time: 7-9 minutes
The truth is, Design Thinking processes and philosophies have certainly become more mainstream in recent years. But are we overselling the capability? Is Design thinking living up to its potential? We’ve all seen articles that say Design Thinking is dead or it’s overrated. Of course there’s always room to improve, but let’s be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water. In reality, the naysayers are forgetting one of the foundational core constructs of Design Thinking; Empathy! Whatever you’re designing, it’s vital to understand and relate to the reality people face when using your products. Context is also vital along with understanding emotions, of both a care giver and a patient. For Philips, that means showing deep empathy for patients, their families, clinicians and support staff, we need to walk in their shoes, shadow and observe them as they go about their tasks. We combine this with a deep understanding of the task they are hoping to achieve and look at how this is currently achieved and the context in which they are performing the task.
That’s why we’ve taken the time to build and strengthen a patient-focused & clinical staff consulting service that helps hospitals and healthcare systems improve patient and staff experience, to drive better outcomes at lower costs.
I want to ensure we are restoring empathy to healthcare design. No single designer, architect or even team of designers, can ever hope to understand all the facets of a particular subject.
I encourage designers to embrace radical empathy and immerse themselves in the reality of user experiences.
It truly excites me to work with the best and brightest staff to define and design the future of healthcare.
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