Driven to care: How empathetic design can help Ford build world-class vehicles

Last week, I sat down with the internationally renowned industrial designer and American icon, Dr. Patricia Moore, at Ford’s headquarters. She helped pioneer this discipline and I was blown away by her ongoing dedication to customer empathy. She famously once walked in the shoes of an old women for four years as a young designer to advocate on behalf of elderly consumers. That mission still drives everything she does today, including her work with wounded veterans.

Her work intersects with Ford’s mission, to build products that are the best in the world for durability and quality, and that customers love and truly make a difference in their lives. I wanted all Ford employees, at every different level and function, to learn from her. Without being trite, we can all pay more attention to our customers and understand their wants and needs.

Dr. Moore was very generous with her time and sharing her wisdom with the Ford team during the two days she visited us. In the spirit of efficiency, here are three of my key takeaways from my conversation with her.

1. Be kind. This is the essence of Dr. Moore’s work. It’s also dear to my heart, my favorite Plato quote is: “Always be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle.” At Ford, this means seeking to understand how our customers feel using and interacting with our vehicles, especially people of different abilities. Dr. Moore said that the best designers are first and foremost anthropologist; they listen, observe, do - in that order. Then redo, and redo again until they get it right.

2. Design for dreams. Empathy is not just about understanding what a person needs or desires, but also knowing what their dreams are. That dream could be tearing around a racecourse, going offroad in search of new adventures, building a successful business, serving your community, or having a better quality of life. We need to be the company that designs products that help fulfill the diverse dreams of our customers.

3. Ford’s future lies beyond being just a car company. The freedom of mobility is a human right and Ford can take center stage on designing products for a new era of transportation. Being in the business of moving people shouldn’t stop at what happens when you get behind the wheel, it’s also about how you get people in and out of the vehicle. This is personal for me, I tried for months to get the right vehicle for a wheelchair-bound close friend of mine whose shoulder injury prevented him from lifting himself into the driver’s seat. We need to get better at designing vehicles that work for everyone, not for averages. This becomes even more important as people are living longer lives.

Lee Iacocca once asked Dr. Moore: “Who is the most important customer?” She answered, your mother. He didn’t believe her initially, but he came to see the truth in that statement.

Inclusive design means considering the needs of every customer, and every passenger. This is sometimes difficult for a large-scale manufacturing company like Ford that needs to be competitive on costs, and I’m thankful to Dr. Moore for challenging us to be better.

All of us need to walk in the shoes of others to open our minds to their unique challenges and requirements. I believe Ford’s best products and customer experiences are still ahead of us. And I look forward to being in the driving seat as we design them, surrounded by the passionate Ford team.