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Design Empathy in Action

Design Empathy in Action

By: Stacey Chillemi
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Summary

 Most products don’t flop because they’re ugly—they flop because they’re tone-deaf. In Design Empathy in Action, Georgia Tech professor, industry vet, and DesignBloc director Wayne K. Li shows you how top creatives read context, feel what users feel, and design things people actually want in the real world.

Each episode breaks down the “fuzzy front end” of design—where research, business trends, and human behavior collide—into clear moves you can use to build better products, services, and experiences now.

You’ll get:
  • Battle-tested tools for design empathy & contextual awareness
  • Real examples from industry, classrooms, and community projects
  • Frameworks from Design Empathy and Contextual Awareness: Frames of Reference for the 21st Century Creative
  • Stories that flip the lightbulb on for creatives, founders, and product teams
If you design anything for humans, this show is your unfair advantage.

🚀 Take Action with Wayne K. Li

🌐 Explore DesignBloc @ Georgia Tech: https://designbloc.gatech.edu
📘 Grab the Book – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1529438217

🔗 Connect with Wayne
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-li-8569081/
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wlicoyote/
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Episodes
  • Smart Team, Weak Results? Build What People Actually Want Using Empathy

    Smart Team, Weak Results? Build What People Actually Want Using Empathy
    Feb 19 2026
    Most products don’t fail because of bad technology. They fail because no one stopped to understand the human.

    In this episode, Lisa Urbanski sits down with Wayne Li to break down why empathy isn’t soft — it’s strategic.

    You’ll learn:
    🔥 Why intelligent teams still build the wrong thing

    🧠 The 3 types of empathy (and how to apply them at work)

    🚀 The skill AI can’t replicate — and why it matters now

    🔎 Why observing behavior beats asking people what they want

    🛠 A simple design framework to make better decisions under pressure

    📈 How contextual awareness gives you a leadership edge

    If you lead teams, build products, or are designing your next career move, this conversation gives you a practical framework you can use immediately.

    🚀 Take Action with Wayne K. Li

    🌐 Visit Wayne’s website: www.wlidesign.com

    🎓 Learn more through Georgia Tech: https://id.gatech.edu/people/wayne-li

    🔗 Connect with Wayne
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-li-8569081/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wlicoyote/
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • Design Empathy: Your Hidden Business Edge

    Design Empathy: Your Hidden Business Edge
    Nov 21 2025
    Host Stacey Chillemi sits down with former car designer, Pottery Barn creative director, and Georgia Tech professor Wayne Li to expose the real edge behind products and businesses people actually love: design empathy. If you’ve ever launched something that looked perfect on paper but fell flat in real life, this is the blueprint for fixing it fast.

    You’ll learn:
    • How empathy, creativity, and critical thinking work together to drive results
    • Why over-analysis kills innovation—and what to do instead
    • Real-world stories of empathy turning “meh” products into must-haves
    • Simple tools like empathy maps you can steal for your team today
    • How to use design thinking to upgrade both your business and relationships


    🚀 Take Action with Wayne K. Li

    🌐 Visit Wayne’s website: www.wlidesign.com

    🎓 Learn more through Georgia Tech: https://id.gatech.edu/people/wayne-li

    🔗 Connect with Wayne
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-li-8569081/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wlicoyote/
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
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