BINGO...that is the divide that we need to fight against because the difference you just highlighted is one of language not behavior.<p>What you are suggesting as empathy really does have to do with HMI design. While we may not agree with the &#x27;feelings&#x27; of another, empathy is about understanding them. Empathic deisgn, which focuses on understanding the perspective of your users (&quot;seeing and hearing&quot; to use IDEO terms), is where the principles of consistency, clarity, efficiency, and aesthetics come from.<p>The emotions and welfare might not be physical pain or deep loss but they are (in turn) surprise, confusion, frustration, and enjoyment. Your HMI&#x27;s work when they understand and operationalize how your user interacts (physically and emotionally) with your product. It might be called human factors, it might be called design, it might be called something else but it is empathizing with user. When you seek to consistency you are takign an initial (low level) step towards making empathy part of your design. When you test that design, you are taking another step.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.parc.com&#x2F;services&#x2F;focus-area&#x2F;innovation-services&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.parc.com&#x2F;services&#x2F;focus-area&#x2F;innovation-services...</a> (TED version: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=dhSvLcfBM3k" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=dhSvLcfBM3k</a>)
[2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;hbr.org&#x2F;1997&#x2F;11&#x2F;spark-innovation-through-empathic-design" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;hbr.org&#x2F;1997&#x2F;11&#x2F;spark-innovation-through-empathic-de...</a>