Empathic Design Models

Empathic Design Models are a more dynamic way of designing learning environments than its predecessor the ISD (Instructional Systems Development) ADDIE and ADDIE-M model. The ADDIE model is a structured based learning model that relies on learning by design and applying the same in-depth and out dated learning structure to every problem. Into the digital age of e-learning many designers have found that not every problem has the same answer and with that in mind many designers wanted a more dynamic learning model. One that didn't just try to implement the non-digital techniques of page turning in a text book over the internet, but one that took advantage of the digital domain and to apply it to real world situation. Unlike the ISD ADDIE models that take a textbook approach to learning, the Empathic Design Models try to use techniques that can be dynamic enough to apply to any type of media.

One of the types of Empathic Design models out there is the IIGE model. The IIGE model stands for Immersion, Incubation, Generation, and Evaluation. By immersing oneself into a situation one can generally find unexpected issues and hidden problems or information. Incubation allows for one to reflect on all the information gathered. The generation process is where one starts putting the information together and generating or brainstorming ideas for implementing their overall ideas. The Evaluation state is where one explores the different solutions and evaluates the best ideas to see which ones pan out.

There are a several types of Empathic Design models out there but they all use some of the steps or ideas used in the IIGE model. The main focus on using Empathic Design models is to come up with a more practical way of coming up with a product or teaching a course that is more up to date and realizes that not every situation has the same textbook answer.