Combinator in Hackers and Painters “Empathy is probably the single most important difference between a good hacker and a great one. Some hackers are quite smart, but when it comes to empathy are practically solipsists. It’s hard for such people to design great software, because they can’t see things from the user’s point of view.”
most important difference between a good hacker and a great one. Some hackers are quite smart, but when it comes to empathy are practically solipsists. It’s hard for such people to design great software, because they can’t see things from the user’s point of view.” – Paul Graham of Y Combinator in Hackers and Painters solipsism: extreme preoccupation with and indulgence of one's feelings, desires, etc.; egoistic self-absorption.
most important difference between a good hacker and a great one. Some hackers are quite smart, but when it comes to empathy are practically solipsists. It’s hard for such people to design great software, because they can’t see things from the user’s point of view.” – Paul Graham of Y Combinator in Hackers and Painters
to be able to see the world as others see it • to be nonjudgmental • to understand another person’s feelings • to communicate your understanding of that person’s feelings back to them Theresa Wiseman, “A concept analysis of empathy” http://www.researchgate.net/publication/227941757_A_concept_analysis_of_empathy
Affective/Emotional empathy A shared emotional response Feels like “fluff” “I can’t change how I feel!” Indi Young, “Practical Empathy” Cognitive empathy Perspective-taking Skill, not inherent Can be learned & taught
Stop. Cool down. Every time you find yourself saying, “Why the &()@% would this person do this?”… Now, ask, “Why the &()@% indeed would this person do this?”
presented with a problem, write it down… • Ask why. Write that down… • If that answer doesn’t address the root of the problem, repeat. • Really the 5-ish Whys From Toyota/Six Sigma
SaaS • The user wants an Excel-like grid of all data. WHY? • The user wants to be able to filter out just the users with the NEW status. WHY? • The users needs to be able to see a list of only the users who are new. WHY? • The users email these lists of just new people to their leadership team. WHY? • The leadership team splits up the responsibility of calling every new contact at least once.
developer tells you to do ________ • Employee tells you ________ • Framework developer does ________ • Someone on twitter opines ________ • You come across legacy code that ________ • Your spouse ________
way that empathy manifests itself is courtesy. Respecting people’s time is important. Don’t let your colleagues down; if you say you’re going to do something, do it. A lot of the standard traits that you would look for in any kind of organization come down to courteousness. It’s not just about having a veneer of politeness, but actually trying to anticipate someone else’s needs and meeting them in advance."
Discussions - The Business of Development with Tighten “We want our clients to hear us saying: We hear, understand, and often anticipate your needs. Whatever goes on… your priorities are our priorities.”
Code Design Requires Empathy http://spin.atomicobject.com/2013/07/06/code-design- empathy/ • Is empathy on your resume? http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/12/business/stewart- butterfield-of-slack-experience-with-empathy- required.html • Dev Discussions - The Business of Development With Tighten http://www.devdiscussions.com/episodes/6811-episode-4- the-business-of-development-with-tighten
Krznaric - Empathy: Why It Matters & How To Get It https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=lN4MRYIoCS0&list=PLFPDmaMM5XCuQEyZfgh- VMxzxaqsOe4z3&index=15 • Indi Young - A Practical Type of Empathy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSs0iB6gxV4 • Brené Brown - Empathy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw • Roman Krznaric - The Power of Outrospection https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG46IwVfSu8