Developers, designers, project managers and site editors — anybody who builds for or works with WordPress on a daily basis — are always looking for that edge to help take them, their clients, and their sites to the next level.

While sharpening your toolset is great, and never-ending, there’s one “must have feature” that separate the competent developers from the truly great: Empathy.

When you step outside your desire to “show off” or build something better “your way”, and focus on listening to the needs of your clients and/or your audience, you’ll unlock the secret to building better, more sustainable and more loved products.

Through case studies, examples, and action items, I’ll talk about why — and how — adding empathy to your toolkit lets you move beyond chasing trends into making your sites, and the web, a better place.