We’ve all heard the classic UX mantra: “Walk in your users’ shoes.” It’s one of those lines that sounds noble, feels important, and gets a lot of head-nodding in design meetings.

But here’s a cheeky question: Is it actually enough?

Sure, empathy is essential, but is slipping into someone else’s trainers the full story when it comes to designing brilliant, behaviourally sound experiences?

In this article, we’ll explore the limitations of empathy, the often-overlooked role of behavioural science, and why it might be time to stop treading so carefully in your users’ shoes, and start seeing the whole pavement.

Empathy in UX: The Good, the Deep, and the Occasionally Misguided

Empathy’s had a glowing PR run in the design world — and rightly so. It helps us understand our users’ frustrations, goals, and emotional states. It allows us to build interfaces that feel right — not just function well.

But empathy isn’t a monolith. In fact, there are two types you should know:

• Cognitive empathy: Understanding someone’s thought process.

• Emotional empathy: Feeling what they feel.

Both are useful. One helps you make logical sense of user decisions. The other keeps you human.

And yet, even with all that empathy, we still sometimes end up designing clunky flows or building features no one uses. So… what gives?

When Empathy Becomes a Blind Spot

Here’s the thing: empathy has limits.

It can create unintentional bias. You might empathise more easily with people like you and less so with users from different backgrounds, cultures, or contexts.

It can get too zoomed in, so focused on one pain point that you miss the bigger behavioural patterns. In some cases, empathy can lead us to “fix” the wrong thing altogether.

And let’s not confuse sympathy with empathy. One makes us feel sorry for users. The other helps us design better things for them.

Stop Walking, Start Observing

Instead of always trying to walk in your users’ shoes, try this:

Watch what they actually do.

Because here’s a secret from the behavioural psychology corner of the room: people don’t always do what they say they’ll do.

Real user insights often come from observation, data, and a touch of humility, not just imagination.

This is where behavioural design and consumer psychology step in.

Enter Behavioural Science: Your New Design Co-Pilot

Understanding human behaviour isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s core to creating useful, usable, and delightful experiences.

Behavioural science gives you frameworks to decode why people abandon carts, ignore notifications, or repeatedly click the same button expecting a different result.

Think:

• Nudging behaviours through design

• Anticipating cognitive biases

• Designing for the irrational, emotional side of decision-making

Empathy tells us what someone feels. Behavioural science tells us why they act the way they do, and how we can help them make better choices.

A Case in Point: Designing for Patients, Not Just People

Let’s talk about hospitals.

Patients are vulnerable, overwhelmed, and dealing with more forms than anyone should ever see. Simply empathising with that stress isn’t enough.

But apply behavioural design? Now you’re simplifying information, reducing decision fatigue, and empowering patients to take action without feeling even more anxious.

It’s empathy, with systems thinking and psychology built in.

The AI Factor: Standing Out in the Algorithm Age

Yes, AI is getting clever. It can now draft your UX copy, crunch user feedback, and predict drop-off points before you’ve even opened your dashboard.

But while AI can process data, it can’t feel a user’s hesitation.

To stand out in the age of AI, you’ve got to combine its strengths (scale, speed, precision) with your own curiosity, compassion, and design thinking rooted in real human need.

Don’t Throw Away the Shoes, Just Don’t Stop There

Walking in your users’ shoes? Still a decent start. But don’t get stuck lacing them up forever.

Step back. Zoom out. Observe behaviours. Use frameworks. Apply psychology. Ask better questions.

And then, only then, design with empathy, insight, and strategy.

Because the best UX designers aren’t just good at walking in shoes. They’re good at mapping the terrain.

Want to Get Better at All This?

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