Interview Details
Date: 2/25/2016
Course: Daylong Into To HCD: 2016-02-03 PART 1-2
Interviewee: Ivonne
Interviewer: Sveta
1. Demographic information
Sex: Female
Profession: Change Manager at Financial Institution
Nationality: Mexico
Residence: Chicago
2. Do you think empathy needs to taught? To whom? And why?
It does. At home, from when you’re little. Practice at home, then at school.
In workplaces, do you believe people are empathetic?
Competition as young adults, forget empathy, how can they benefit from others
high-school would be the best time to do it; social media has taught young adults to connect in a particular way, a culture; adds another layer: could be good because people have access to very different people, cultures, just potential
What happens: (i) instead of really connecting, a “like” takes the place of real communication (ii) mostly connect to people they know or people just like them, reject friend requests from people who appear to be too different, based on superficial attributes
3. How do you think it can be taught?
Get people out of their comfort zone, make them work with others where the others are the experts: teaching humility, teaching them to appreciate the needs of others; tellers are the front-line workers, high school grads, a lot of pressure from execs, “great customer experience”; sending execs to frontline to shadow tellers
4. Do you think you are an empathetic person?
What made you that way/how did you become empathetic?
Yes, because I think being empathetic is the opposite of being selfish. I generally think of the needs of other people. At a cocktail party I try to find someone who is standing alone, because I feel bad for them.
5. Exploring mental models
Why do you think people disagree or argue or fight? What drives people to that?
Why do people find it difficult to work out their differences?
Is there anyone you find it difficult to talk to? Why do you think that is?
Is there anyone you do not even feel like talking to? (in your class, your family, your group, your city/town)?
Why do you think you feel that way?
What makes it easier for you to talk to people you don’t know/ who are very different from you?
People who seem closed, are wearing headphones, who appear to not welcome an approach from other.
[Comment: Might mean different things to different people; possibly should not be named as the concept we’re interested in.]