Stepping into the Rabbit Hole: Empathy and the User Experience

I love the convenience of doing things online. As a busy parent, being able to accomplish tasks like choosing birthday presents, checking schedules, and ordering food anytime I’m free is invaluable. But what makes these experiences so great? One major reason is the study of UX or the User Experience. And a key to understanding UX is empathy. In other words, can you place yourself in someone else’s shoes?

To explore empathy, I’ve profiled someone who has a significantly different lifestyle from mine. Namely, a single guy with no kids. Focusing on his particular situation when ordering food through a mobile app, I wanted to learn what this person’s feelings are, their needs, and their problems. So, let’s begin.

Who is CY?

CY is a twenty-something single man who hails from Calgary but has roots in Hong Kong. He graduated from university with a fine arts degree a few years ago and has worked in Toronto and Hong Kong, with stints at an auction house and a fine furniture retailer where he used his art and design background to advise clients.

Where does he live?

Now based in Toronto, he lives in a neighbourhood populated by tourists visiting popular destinations such as the Eaton Centre or Chinatown and university students attending Ryerson and the University of Toronto. Because of the high foot traffic, this area offers a wide range of restaurants which is perfect for CY.

What are his ordering habits?

Since he lives alone, it’s understandable that it’s more convenient for him to order food rather than to cook. Because he has the flexibility to eat whenever he wants, he often finds himself ordering food when he’s hungry rather than at pre-determined meal times. This usually means ordering food late at night or at relatively random times. 

There are a few other factors that play a role in CY’s food ordering decisions. The first one is that while he has no food restrictions, he did confess to being a picky eater. When he orders food, he likes to be able to customize his order so that he can avoid ingredients he’s not fond of.

He also likes the idea of ordering food that earns him loyalty points or discounts. Having these incentives encourages him to discover new dishes that could expand his ordering options.

Why does he like ordering through apps?

As a tech savvy user, he places a high value on the following benefits of using an app:

• The ability to place an order quickly and directly without having to interact with a person.
• The ability to track his order.
• The ability to customize his order with the use of images and ingredient descriptions.
• The ease of payment by using saved credit card information.

His favourite app is Ritual which focuses on restaurants offering pick-up only. Since he lives in an area with high-traffic congestion, it’s more convenient for him to pick up his order than to wait for delivery. It also allows him to save on the delivery fee.

Are there problems to overcome?

Yes, there are! Convenience is important to CY as is timing. He likes apps that allow him to go pick up his food quickly. But is it really convenient to leave home to go pick it up? One of the benefits of using an online ordering app is the ability to track an order. What if there was an app that focused on restaurants nearby, offering free foot or bicycle delivery service that could be tracked by GPS? With that capability, CY could choose a more reliable mode of delivery that’s affordable and convenient.

Another problem for CY is the possibility of getting bored with his food options. Because he’s a selective eater, he may fall into a rut of ordering the same things repeatedly. That could get boring. What if there was an app that not only focused on incentives for ordering food but also featured customer reviews to help with decisions? Having incentives to try new dishes is great for CY, but having more information about these dishes is better.

Conclusion

We often think of the online experience as being cold because we're not interacting with a human directly. But if you consider what went on behind the scenes, it's actually not true. Empathy is the opposite of being cold, and good UX design is based on empathy. So rest assured that whenever you encounter a great user experience, somebody was there and was placing themselves in your shoes.