Definition
The capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference. – Wikipedia
CRO Example
What you have when you truly understand your users and their emotions. You can’t get it looking at data in Google Analytics. This is where qualitative research comes in; stuff like user interviews, reading feedback, etc. You are not your user; to understand them you need to talk to them and share their experience. When’s the last time you accessed a website with a screen reader? Venture outside of your own context; look at diversity of gender, age, ability, etc. Follow accessibility guidelines.
Additional reading
- Sympathy vs. Empathy in UX – Nielsen Norman Group