What activity is crucial to conducting effective user research in the empathize phase?

Conducting surveys and interviews is essential during the empathize phase of user research because this activity allows designers to gather direct insights from users. This phase focuses on understanding users' needs, behaviors, and experiences in a deep and meaningful way. By engaging with users through surveys and interviews, designers can collect qualitative and quantitative data, which reveal not only what users think, but also how they feel about their experiences and the challenges they face.

This approach helps in building empathy for users and fosters a deeper connection to their actual needs and pain points. Furthermore, insights gained from these interactions can inform future design decisions and help identify the most pressing user problems to address in the subsequent design phases.