Week 1 Masterclass Ismail Akbani Mastering Empathy in User Research

Summary

This transcript details a motivational speaker's online workshop during the pandemic, emphasizing exceptional customer experience. Despite charging a premium, the speaker provided physical materials like wooden boards and manuals to participants worldwide, enhancing engagement. The event featured tech checks, preparatory talks, and activities designed for emotional impact, all meticulously planned to ensure a seamless and memorable experience. The narrative also explores customer journey mapping, highlighting the importance of understanding and improving every touchpoint, from initial contact to aftercare, to foster brand loyalty and advocacy.

Takeaways

• 🎯 The speaker emphasizes the importance of a human-centric approach in business, particularly in motivational speaking and conducting workshops.
• 📘 The 'board breaking' activity is highlighted as a confidence-building exercise, which was adapted for an online format during the pandemic with significant logistical efforts.
• 🌐 To ensure a seamless online experience, the event organizers shipped wooden boards globally to participants, demonstrating a commitment to the activity's physical aspect despite the digital platform.
• 💸 The speaker points out the significant profit margin in the event, suggesting that the cost of materials and shipping was a small fraction of the ticket price.
• 👥 Tech checks were conducted to familiarize participants of all ages with the online platform, ensuring inclusivity and technical preparedness.
• 🌐 Language barriers were addressed by having multilingual volunteers available to assist participants, showcasing attention to global audience needs.
• 📝 A printed manual was provided alongside a digital version, enhancing the user experience by catering to different preferences.
• 🍏 Detailed preparation was encouraged for the event, including dietary and physical considerations, to optimize participant engagement.
• 👶 Accommodations were made for participants with children, allowing for a separate Zoom room with child-friendly content, ensuring an uninterrupted experience.
• 📊 The speaker shares a customer journey map example from the healthcare industry, illustrating how to identify and enhance touchpoints throughout the patient experience.
• 🔍 The process of conducting empathy research is outlined, including documenting team biases, planning interviews, and using tools like empathy maps to organize findings.

Q & A

What was the unique approach taken by the motivational speaker during the pandemic for his board-breaking activity?

The motivational speaker shipped a wooden board to 23,000 participants across various countries, including the USA, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, for a board-breaking activity during the pandemic. This was done despite the option to provide specifications for participants to source their own boards locally.

How much did the online program cost that included a printed manual and a wooden board?

The online program cost 40,000 rupees, which included a printed manual and a wooden board for the board-breaking activity, despite the total cost of these items being significantly less than the program fee.

What was the role of the tech check before the online event?

The tech check was conducted to ensure that all participants were familiar with using Zoom, especially those not accustomed to the online world. It involved a one-on-one session with a volunteer to guide participants through basic Zoom operations like turning on the camera and unmuting.

How did the organizers accommodate participants who had difficulty with the online format due to language barriers or age?

The organizers provided language experts who could translate and communicate with participants in their native language. They also assisted elderly participants who were not familiar with Zoom, guiding them through the necessary steps to participate in the program.

What preparations did the organizers make three days before the event to enhance the customer experience?

Three days before the event, the organizers had a speaker conduct Facebook live sessions to prepare participants for the event. They provided a list of recommended and restricted food items and instructed participants on what to expect and how to prepare for the activities.

How did the organizers handle the intense emotional activity during the event that might affect participants with children or pets around?

The organizers created an additional Zoom room for children and pets where cartoons with motivational messages were played. This allowed participants to engage in the emotional activity without worrying about disturbing their children or pets.

What was the significance of the printed manual sent to participants, and how did it affect their perception of the program?

The printed manual was significant as it was an unexpected addition to an online program, enhancing the customer experience. It made participants feel valued and well-prepared for the event, contributing to a positive perception of the program.

How did the speaker's customer journey analysis apply to the example of a hospital emergency room?

The speaker analyzed the customer journey by breaking down the steps a patient takes from experiencing pain to receiving treatment in the emergency room. This analysis identified opportunities to improve the patient experience beyond just the hospital visit, such as transportation and decision-making support.

What is an empathy map and how is it used in customer research?

An empathy map is a tool used to organize and visualize customer data by categorizing it into four quadrants: what the customer says, what the customer thinks, what the customer does, and what the customer feels. It helps in understanding the customer's perspective and identifying areas for product or service improvement.

Why is it important to conduct interviews in context when doing customer research?

Conducting interviews in context allows researchers to observe the subject in their natural environment, which can reveal insights that might be missed in a controlled setting. It provides a more comprehensive understanding of the customer's behavior, needs, and challenges.

What is the purpose of the reflection phase after conducting empathy interviews?

The reflection phase after empathy interviews is crucial for identifying any gaps in data, recognizing biases, and ensuring that the insights gathered are not influenced by preconceived notions. It helps in planning further research or adjustments to the research approach before moving on to data synthesis and idea generation.