Empathy Interview Protocol for inclusive computing pathways¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

A five-step interview protocol that educators use to elicit students' experiences with CS/CT before designing computing pathways. The steps are Step 0: Notice (begin with yourself and your identity), Step 1: Answer (reflect on your own experiences), Step 2: Listen (interview students and, if time, their caregiver), Step 3: Observe (understand context, uncover needs, hear honest feedback), and Step 4: Reflect (sit with the stories shared). The paper states its development is "grounded in the empathizing techniques and protocols from" equityXdesign and d.school's Liberatory Design Frameworks, and draws on Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Costanza-Chock's Design Justice. A complete protocol is available at the printed link.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Educators complete self-reflection steps (Notice and Answer) before interviewing students
• Time to interview students and, if available, their caregivers
• Time to reflect on the stories students shared after the interviews

Constraints¶

• The paper notes designers tend to unconsciously default to imagined users whose experiences are similar to their own, which the protocol is meant to counter

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students, particularly minoritized students in computing programs

Target Learning Goals¶

• Broadening participation in K-12 computational thinking and computer science pathways

Claims¶

Related Elements¶

Examples¶

• Five-step empathy interview exercise for teachers designing inclusive computing pathways
• Conduct empathy interviews as story-based conversations in comfortable, student-chosen settings
• Conduct empathy interviews to understand user experiences with technology
• Conduct one-on-one empathy interviews with open-ended questions to uncover root causes of system challenges

Key Sources¶

• Pati Ruiz, Kelly Mills, Quinn Burke, and Merijke Coenraad. (2021). Student Empathy Interviews: An Instrument For Considering More Inclusive K-12 Computing Pathways. Digital Promise White Paper. https://bit.ly/36szXLy