Measuring Empathy in Design: A New Scale to Enhance Service Experiences

Empathy is at the heart of user-centered design, but how do we measure it effectively in a service design context? Our latest research introduces the Empathy in Design Scale (EMPA-D), a novel tool crafted to measure employees’ empathy toward service users. This validated scale bridges a critical gap in the design field, enabling organizations to assess and foster empathy systematically.

Collaborating with my former Ph.D. candidate Luce Drouet, we undertook this project as part of an exciting collaboration on service design with Luxembourg’s public railway company CFL. Together, we explored a variety of empathic methods, driven by a shared commitment to elevate user-centered practices and the UX maturity of the organization. The scale’s development reflects our deep interest in translating empathy into measurable, actionable insights for service organizations.

The EMPA-D scale was built following best practices in scale development. As part of this process, we conducted two quantitative studies, involving over 700 service employees from various industries. With a three-factor structure—Emotional interest/Perspective-taking, Personal experience, and Self-awareness—this 11-item tool provides robust psychometric properties. It offers a practical means for organizations to evaluate and enhance employees’ empathy, aligning their mindset with user-centered service goals. This work underscores empathy’s central role in shaping meaningful interactions and improving service experiences.

Explore the full article (open access). To delve deeper, explore our other publications on empathic methods in design.
What role could empathy play in transforming your design practice or organization? Let us know how you plan to use these insights!

How to cite our paper:
Luce Drouet, Kerstin Bongard-Blanchy, Carine Lallemand*, Development of the Empathy in Design Scale: Measuring Employees’ Empathy Toward Users in Service Design, Interacting with Computers, 2024, iwae019, https://doi.org/10.1093/iwc/iwae019