{"title":"Conceptualization and operationalization of empathy in design research","authors":"Antti Surma-aho, Katja Hölttä-Otto","doi":"10.1016/j.destud.2021.101075","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this research note, we bring clarity to the concept of empathy in design research by discussing issues in its conceptualization and operationalization. We review literature to identify and clarify the core concepts of empathy and to showcase its potential operationalizations, borrowing from closely related fields of social psychology and neuroscience. We identify five core concepts: empathic understanding, empathic design research, empathic design action, empathic orientation, and empathic mental processes. We also identify six potential operationalizations: empathic tendencies, beliefs about empathy, emotion recognition, understanding mental contents, shared feelings, and prosocial responding. By combining the core concepts and operationalizations, we provide a frame of operation for future empathy research in design.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50593,"journal":{"name":"Design Studies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142694X21000867/pdfft?md5=7c49a26dd3eac363a72b7688c7e0a5e6&pid=1-s2.0-S0142694X21000867-main.pdf","citationCount":"21","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Design Studies","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142694X21000867","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, MANUFACTURING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 21
Abstract
In this research note, we bring clarity to the concept of empathy in design research by discussing issues in its conceptualization and operationalization. We review literature to identify and clarify the core concepts of empathy and to showcase its potential operationalizations, borrowing from closely related fields of social psychology and neuroscience. We identify five core concepts: empathic understanding, empathic design research, empathic design action, empathic orientation, and empathic mental processes. We also identify six potential operationalizations: empathic tendencies, beliefs about empathy, emotion recognition, understanding mental contents, shared feelings, and prosocial responding. By combining the core concepts and operationalizations, we provide a frame of operation for future empathy research in design.
期刊介绍:
Design Studies is a leading international academic journal focused on developing understanding of design processes. It studies design activity across all domains of application, including engineering and product design, architectural and urban design, computer artefacts and systems design. It therefore provides an interdisciplinary forum for the analysis, development and discussion of fundamental aspects of design activity, from cognition and methodology to values and philosophy.
Design Studies publishes work that is concerned with the process of designing, and is relevant to a broad audience of researchers, teachers and practitioners. We welcome original, scientific and scholarly research papers reporting studies concerned with the process of designing in all its many fields, or furthering the development and application of new knowledge relating to design process. Papers should be written to be intelligible and pertinent to a wide range of readership across different design domains. To be relevant for this journal, a paper has to offer something that gives new insight into or knowledge about the design process, or assists new development of the processes of designing.