Thought Leader Jared Tam on Why Digital Strategy Needs Empathy

In the fast-paced world of digital innovation, most executives prioritize speed, scale, and efficiency. But Jared Tam, a Seattle-based technology strategist and consultant with more than 20 years of experience, believes something critical is missing from the conversation: empathy.

SEATTLE, WA / ACCESS Newswire / July 14, 2025 /In the fast-paced world of digital innovation, most executives prioritize speed, scale, and efficiency. But Jared Tam, a Seattle-based technology strategist and consultant with more than 20 years of experience, believes something critical is missing from the conversation: empathy.

As organizations race to adopt artificial intelligence, automate services, and reimagine customer experiences, Jared has emerged as a respected voice calling for a more human- centered approach to digital strategy. He works closely with executive teams, engineers, and design leaders to ensure that the technologies they build not only function well but serve people with fairness, clarity, and care.

"Empathy isn 't the opposite of innovation," Jared says. "It 's the foundation of innovation that lasts."

From Engineering to Empathy

Jared 's journey began in a world of code and systems. He earned his bachelor 's degree in Computer Science from the University of Washington and later completed a master 's in Artificial Intelligence from Stanford University. Early in his career, he built platforms for high-growth startups, helping to scale operations and solve technical challenges in real time. But as Jared gained experience, he noticed a troubling pattern. Products that worked flawlessly in the lab often failed in the real world-not because of bad code, but because the human side had been overlooked.

"I watched brilliant engineers solve the wrong problems," Jared recalls. "We built what we could, not always what we should. That disconnect stuck with me." That realization shifted his focus from purely technical execution to digital strategy-specifically, strategies that take human needs, behavior, and context into account. Today, Jared helps organizations design systems that prioritize transparency, trust, and inclusion-qualities that can 't be programmed but must be intentionally embedded.

Strategy That Starts With Listening

Jared doesn 't begin strategy sessions by talking about platforms or KPIs. Instead, he starts by listening. He interviews stakeholders, from customers and frontline staff to board members and engineers. He maps emotional friction points, explores communication gaps, and surfaces assumptions that often derail implementation later. Then, and only then, does he begin shaping a digital roadmap.

"Empathy isn 't about agreeing with everyone," Jared explains. "It 's about understanding deeply enough to make smarter decisions. If you don 't know how people actually feel when using your service, you can 't improve it in a meaningful way."

This people-first approach has proven powerful. In one recent engagement, Jared worked with a national healthcare provider struggling with patient engagement in their new digital portal. By interviewing users who had dropped off, he discovered that confusing language and inaccessible design-not functionality-were the real barriers. With small changes grounded in user empathy, adoption increased by over 40 percent within six months.

Beyond UX: Building Empathetic Organizations

While many companies focus their empathy efforts on user experience design, Jared urges leaders to go deeper. He believes empathy should extend into internal systems, hiring practices, leadership development, and data governance. "Digital strategy touches every part of an organization," Jared says. "If empathy stops at the customer, you 're only doing half the work."

He often collaborates with HR, IT, and operations teams to align digital tools with internal values. That might mean redesigning employee dashboards to reduce burnout, refining AI- based hiring systems to mitigate bias, or creating communication tools that support neurodiverse workers.

In each case, Jared brings the same approach: listen, understand, and build with intention. He recalls working with a logistics company where delivery drivers were quitting in record numbers. An audit of their routing system revealed the issue wasn 't wages or hours, but an AI scheduler that left no room for bathroom breaks or meal stops. Jared 's intervention led to more humane algorithms that respected workers ' basic needs-without sacrificing efficiency."Empathy isn 't soft," he says. "It 's smart. It reveals blind spots before they become breakdowns."

Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty

As a consultant, Jared helps C-suite executives make complex decisions about technology. But his role often extends beyond advising on tools. He encourages leaders to model empathy themselves-to ask better questions, hold space for dissent, and understand the lived experience of the people their systems impact. "In times of change, empathy becomes even more valuable," Jared says. "When you don 't know the answer, empathy helps you navigate uncertainty with integrity."

This perspective has earned Jared the trust of senior leaders across industries, from healthcare and education to fintech and public services. One CTO described him as a "mirror and a compass"-someone who reflects organizational values while helping teams move forward with clarity.

Jared teaches executives how to balance metrics with meaning. He challenges the idea that strategy must be hard-edged to be effective. In his view, the strongest digital strategies grow from values, not just market trends.

Designing for Inclusion and Impact

Jared believes that inclusive design begins with inclusive strategy. Too often, decisions are made without involving the people most affected by them. That can lead to inaccessible platforms, biased algorithms, and products that unintentionally exclude entire communities. "We can 't build inclusive tools if the decision-making process itself isn 't inclusive," Jared says.

To address this, he facilitates participatory strategy sessions that bring together diverse voices-users, staff, advocates, and partners. These workshops often uncover critical insights that would otherwise go unnoticed.

In a recent government tech project, Jared led a workshop with community members impacted by digital ID policies. Their stories prompted major changes in authentication design that made the system more equitable and easier to use, especially for older adults and people without consistent internet access.

"Strategy that ignores people 's realities fails," he says. "Empathy brings those realities into the room."

The Future Jared Tam Wants to Build

For Jared Tam, empathy is not a trend. It 's a practice. It 's a leadership skill, a design principle, and a strategic asset. And it 's the key to building a digital future that works for everyone.

In the coming year, Jared plans to launch a public toolkit for organizations that want to bring empathy into their digital planning process. The toolkit will include facilitation guides, research templates, and case studies from his consulting work.

He is also working on a book that explores how empathy can reshape everything from data strategy to product development to AI ethics. It will include stories from the field, lessons from failures, and a framework for building technology with heart.

"We 're at a turning point," Jared says. "Technology is changing fast. But values don 't have to. If we anchor digital strategy in empathy, we build systems that last. We build systems people trust. We build a future we actually want to live in."

About Jared Tam

Jared Tam is a Seattle-based technology strategist and thought leader specializing in ethical innovation, digital transformation, and human-centered design. With over 20 years of experience, he advises organizations across sectors on how to align their digital strategy with empathy, inclusion, and long-term impact. Jared holds degrees from the University of Washington and Stanford University and is a frequent speaker, mentor, and advocate for responsible technology leadership.

Contact: Jared Tam
Email: tam@jared-tam.com

SOURCE:Jared Tam

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

© 2025 ACCESS Newswire. All Rights Reserved.