Yet, at its core, software development isn’t an act of scientific triumph, but of empathy. Software’s true worth isn’t measured in lines of code or test coverage. It’s measured by how it makes life a little bit better for someone else. Maybe your appli…

Robert McKee explains what a writer should and should not do when trying to create empathetic characters.See it on Scoop.it, via Empathy and Compassion

Research + Empathy

In this next phase of the week we’ll start to step outside of the Drawing Board mindset and shift gears as a team. Keep that creative energy high by doing some much-needed research and extending the vision of the work you’re doing. It might sound scary, but this step is important! As you pair your problem with your hunches and start to think about how to research them, keep this simple idea in mind:  Whenever you can, prove a hunch with a test…

Here are the ways we use to get there as a team.

• Interviews — This should feel similar to the homework from Week 1, so continue to find people who can help you understand the problem deeper. …
• Co-Create — One simple way to keep learning is to invite others to design and think alongside you….
• Analogous Research — Are you building a website? Or maybe it’s a service or program?….
• Immersion — Maybe the simplest thing to do is to immerse yourself in your problem…

The goal of all of this outside learning is to try to get to a place where you can empathize with the people and problems more deeply.

The first week of The Compassionate Brain series focused on the link between compassion and neuroplasticity of the brain. First let us start with some definitions:   Neuroplasticity: The brain’s ability to change due to environmental changes…