Developing the empathy UX : a study in building empathy through technology and media

Abstract

This study represents the culmination of historical research on the topic of building empathy (perspective-taking, or cognitive empathy for this context) through identity expressed over digital media channels, or in a cognitive empathy portal of sorts. Through literature review, relevant topics around digital media as a tool to build empathy are introduced. A controlled digital experiment (in a portal-like digital experience) then integrates research into a single framework that can be leveraged in future iterations of a cognitive empathy portal. Results of this experiment show that no consistent link between a single score in cognitive empathy and accuracy in predicting behavior exists. Furthermore, considerations around testing for self-reporting of empathy components in future research should be taken into account and explored rigorously.