What is the primary goal during the empathize phase in UX design?

The primary goal during the empathize phase in UX design is to understand users' needs and feelings. This phase is fundamentally about deeply engaging with the users to gather insights about their experiences, motivations, and challenges. By employing techniques such as interviews, observations, and user journey mapping, designers are able to develop a thorough understanding of the users' perspectives.

This understanding is crucial because it informs the design process, ensuring that solutions are user-centered and address real user problems rather than assumptions made by the designers. Gaining empathy for the users helps in formulating design choices that resonate with their requirements and emotional responses, ultimately leading to more effective and meaningful design outcomes.

The other options, while important in the overall design process, are not the primary focus during the empathize phase. Prototyping and brainstorming occur in later phases of the design process, and defining a problem statement is typically a result of the insights gained during this empathize phase rather than the goal itself.