Publication Type

Conference Proceeding Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

2-2021

Abstract

Empathy tools are experiences designed to evoke empathetic responses by placing the user in another’s lived and felt experience. The problem is that designers do not have a common vocabulary to describe empathy tool experiences; consequently, it is difficult to compare/contrast empathy tool designs or to think about their efficacy. To address this problem, we analyzed 26 publications on empathy tools to develop a descriptive framework for designers of empathy tools. Based on our analysis, we found that empathy tools can be described along three dimensions: (i) the amount of agency the tool allows, (ii) the user’s perspective while using the tool, and (iii) the type of sensations that are experienced. We show that this framework can be used to describe a wide variety of empathy tools and provide recommendations for empathy tool designers, as well as techniques for measuring the efficacy of an empathy tool experience.

Keywords

Empathy, Empathy Tools, Design Strategies

Discipline

Databases and Information Systems | Graphics and Human Computer Interfaces

Research Areas

Information Systems and Management

Publication

TEI '21: Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction, Salzburg, Austria, 2021 February 14-17

First Page

1

Last Page

15

ISBN

9781450382137

Identifier

10.1145/3430524.3440644

Publisher

ACM

City or Country

Salzburg, Austria

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1145/3430524.3440644

Download

Share

COinS