Imran Afzal is one of our speakers at UX London 2023. Ahead of his talk — ‘Let’s choose empathy’ — we had a chat with him.
Here’s what we asked, and what Imran told us:
What’s the most important thing a UXer could do to weave more empathy into their day-to-day practice?
Listen. We spend most of day telling people what we think. We spend a lot of time trying to be heard. Even when we’re listening, we’re thinking about other things. So the most important thing UX folks can do, is listen. Listening comes in many forms. But it starts and ends with a focus on the other person. UX folk need to develop good listening skills, so that they can understand users and colleagues alike.
How has mentoring affected the way you engage with the UX industry/scene as a whole?
Mentoring has made me see that people have a desire to learn about topic like empathy. Topics that we’re not taught in school or UX bootcamps. It’s made me more confident about what I have to offer. Speaking at events is not easy for me. I’m introvert. But I have a fire inside me to give something back to this world that has given me so much.
What methods would you recommend to somebody trying to encourage user empathy within non-UX colleagues?
Get them to a research session. Like actually get them to observe a session. Create a compilation of clips from a day of research. Don’t be the conduit between the user and the colleagues outside of UX. Introduce them to the user.
Did the importance of empathy in your career influence your choice to work at Co-op, and how do you see empathy play out there?
It did. I wanted to bring my strong views on empathy to life in a larger organisation. Co-op is the largest org I’ve worked for. It’s a bigger platform for testing my ideas and thinking. I also saw something in Co-op that spoke to me. It’s an organisation trying to do good. Yes, they make money. But they also do good for their communities and colleagues. This is important to me.
And finally, what are you currently listening to, reading or watching?
I’m re-reading Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead (I read it at least once a year). I’ve also just listened to the first episode of Amy Hupe’s podcast, Systems of Harm.
You can see Imran’s talk at UX London 2023, on 22–23 June, at Tobacco Dock, London.
