ChatGPT in the “Empathize”

The “Empathize” phase is the foundational step in the Design Thinking process, which aims to deeply understand the needs, behaviors, and emotions of end users. Rather than relying solely on assumptions or surface-level data, this phase encourages designers to immerse themselves in the user’s world—through interviews, observations, and contextual inquiry. The goal is to uncover latent needs and pain points that may not be immediately obvious. Empathy is not just emotional resonance; it is a cognitive effort to grasp the user’s perspective and translate it into actionable insights.

ChatGPT, as a conversational AI, offers several powerful capabilities that can augment the Empathize phase:

• Simulating User Personas: ChatGPT can generate realistic user personas based on demographic inputs, behavioral traits, and contextual scenarios. This helps teams visualize diverse user perspectives and anticipate needs.

• Interview Scenario Generation: Designers can use ChatGPT to draft interview questions tailored to specific user segments. It can also simulate responses based on known user behaviors, allowing teams to rehearse and refine their approach.

• Insight Extraction: By feeding ChatGPT transcripts or summaries of user interviews, it can help synthesize recurring themes, emotional cues, and unmet needs. This accelerates the analysis process and reduces bias in interpretation.

• Empathy Mapping Support: ChatGPT can assist in building empathy maps by categorizing what users “say,” “think,” “do,” and “feel,” based on input data. This structured output helps teams visualize user experiences more holistically.

Consider a business unit at a water utility company aiming to deploy AI solutions to improve customer service. During the Empathize phase, the team uses ChatGPT to simulate conversations with various customer types—urban households, rural communities, and commercial clients. By prompting ChatGPT with different personas, the team uncovers concerns such as billing transparency, service reliability, and communication gaps.

Next, ChatGPT helps generate interview scripts that are culturally sensitive and contextually relevant. After conducting real interviews, the team inputs summaries into ChatGPT, which identifies recurring frustrations and emotional triggers. These insights inform the next phase of Design Thinking—defining the core problem.

• ChatGPT is a valuable tool for enhancing empathy-driven research by simulating users, generating interview content, and synthesizing insights.

• It accelerates the Empathize phase while maintaining depth and diversity of perspective.

• When used thoughtfully, ChatGPT complements human-centered design by expanding the designer’s ability to understand and connect with users.

• Its integration into Design Thinking workflows empowers teams to move from assumption to insight with greater clarity and speed.