Unit 2: Empathize and define
Design Thinking and Innovation notes · PTU syllabus (UGSEC2509)
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Unit summary
Great solutions begin with deeply understanding people and correctly defining the problem. This unit covers empathy in innovation, observing and assimilating information, understanding individual differences, and identifying "wicked problems" and their impact.
After this unit you can
- Explain why empathy is central to innovation
- Use observation, interviews and empathy maps to gather insights
- Account for individual differences among users
- Identify wicked problems and write a clear problem statement
PTU syllabus topics
- Importance of empathy in the innovation process
- observing and assimilating information
- understanding individual differences
- identifying 'wicked problems' and their potential impact
Definition
Clear and agreed
Unclear and contested
Solution
One right answer
Many possible, none perfect
Example
Fix a broken chair
Reduce city traffic
Approach
Follow known steps
Empathy, iteration and collaboration
Topic 1
Empathy in innovation
Empathy is understanding a user's feelings, needs and context from their point of view. Without it, teams solve the wrong problem. Methods: observation (watching people in real settings), interviews (open-ended questions), immersion (experiencing the situation yourself) and surveys.
Topic 2
Observing and assimilating information
Says
What the user says aloud
Thinks
What the user thinks but may not say
Does
What the user actually does
Feels
The user's emotions
Insights come from noticing contradictions between what people say and do. Group observations into themes (affinity mapping) and look for unmet needs.
Topic 3
Understanding individual differences
Users differ in age, ability, culture, language, income, technical skill and goals. Personas — fictional but research-based user profiles — help teams design for real differences instead of an imagined "average user".
Example
Persona: "Gurpreet, 45, a shopkeeper in Ludhiana, uses WhatsApp daily but finds banking apps confusing; wants to accept digital payments without complicated steps."
Topic 4
Wicked problems and problem definition
A wicked problem is complex, has many stakeholders, no single right answer, and changes as you try to solve it — such as traffic congestion, waste management or student dropout. A good problem statement (point of view) uses the format: [User] needs [need] because [insight].
Example
"First-year hostel students need an easy way to find affordable home-style food because canteen options feel repetitive and outside food is costly."
"How might we…?" questions turn the problem into an opportunity for ideation: "How might we make home-style food affordable for hostel students?"
Key terms
- Empathy
- Understanding users' needs and feelings from their perspective
- Empathy map
- A tool showing what users say, think, do and feel
- Persona
- A research-based profile of a typical user
- Wicked problem
- A complex problem with no single solution
- Point of view statement
- A user-centred problem definition
Quick revision
- Empathise through observation, interviews and immersion.
- Empathy map: says, thinks, does, feels.
- Personas capture individual differences.
- POV: [user] needs [need] because [insight]; then "How might we…?"
Important exam questions
Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).
Short-answer questions
- Q1.Why is empathy important in design thinking?
- Q2.What is an empathy map?
- Q3.What is a persona?
- Q4.Define a wicked problem with an example.
- Q5.Write the format of a point-of-view statement.
Long-answer questions
- Q1.Explain the empathise stage and the tools used in it.
- Q2.Explain wicked problems and how a problem is defined in design thinking.
- Q3.Create a persona and a POV statement for a problem on your campus.
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