Empathy Research with Discover Datasheets

Empathy Research with Discover Datasheets

For my project of a program certification process, I held a meeting with my boss, Michael to review the datasheets I had completed in advance of our getting together.  It was interesting to use these with a client like Michael because I had the fortune of his expertise with LEM and LEDx to make sure I was following the process correctly.

I learned first that we were very much on the same page about the questions that were being raised about this process and how to develop it, along with finding out some areas that I needed to investigate further. 

I also learned in this process that I was caught up in overusing the Discover Datasheet in that I felt it needed a lot of information.  My next experience with these sheets will probably result in many more of them with less text and greater focus.  I did also have a few lines that should go on another sheet under a different discovery type. 

I think experiences like this help to build empathy because you must present your understanding of a learning environment to your client and get their feedback.  The datasheets are a good way of doing this because they help frame the conversation around each observation.  I would argue these experiences enhance the learning environment design end result because time has not been spent trying to resolve confusion in the later, productive stages of the process.