How to manage compassion fatigue as a UX Designer in the public sector

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‘How am I feeling?’ is not something I usually ask myself after conducting user interviews.

After going through some challenging user research studies where I listened to participants talk about their negative experiences with the energy adjudication process, I felt sad and exhausted.

Dealing with heavy emotions is not typically taught in design school. When you work in the public sector, you are more likely to encounter people whose lives are impacted by the tools and services that you work on. You might listen to challenging stories, some of which can wear you down over time.

Through my fellowship journey, I realized the importance of checking in with myself and incorporating self-care into my design practice.

So, what happened and what started this?

During the discovery phase of my project, I hit a low point. I received some negative responses to my user research invites and heard tough stories from those that I did have a chance to talk with.

Many of the problems people face are systematic. They were difficult for me to tackle in a 10-month timeline. It left me feeling tired, emotionally exhausted and quite honestly questioning my ability to create change.

As UX designers, empathy and compassion are a large part of who we are and the work we do. We talk to people about their experiences using a product or a service, seeking to make them better. So, what happens when your work impacts you deeply?

The first time I heard about the concept of compassion fatigue was when I was having a conversation with a therapist. I shared my experience conducting user interviews as a designer in the public sector.

At the time, I never heard of the term before, much less believed I was experiencing this. After all, how can designers get tired of being compassionate? When I took time to do some research, I realized it occurs more often than I thought within the design industry.

What is compassion fatigue?

How does it relate to design?

Secondary trauma

How do you recover from compassion fatigue?

There are times when you may feel powerless to help your participants, especially when they go through a lot of suffering. However, over this fellowship, I have learned that even if you can’t solve all their issues, most people appreciate the chance to share their stories and get their voices heard.

Further readings:

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