Empati yang Tidak Menyelamatkan: Ilusi Design Thinking pada Ekosistem EdTech Zenius

Abstract

This article critically examines the implementation of Design Thinking in the development of Zenius Education, an Indonesian EdTech platform, during 2020-2024. Using a qualitative explanatory single-case study design, the study analyzes the paradox between successful user empathy and ecosystem failure that led Zenius to cease operations in 2024. Findings show that Zenius succeeded on the desirability pillar (content quality acknowledged as superior) but failed systematically on the viability pillar, scoring 2/10 on an ecosystem index compared to its closest competitor Ruangguru at 8/10. Analysis through Brown's (2008) three-pillar framework, Matthews and Wrigley's (2017) design-maturity spectrum, and Sreenivasan and Suresh's (2024) Design Thinking-Lean Start-up integration theory reveals that Zenius remained trapped at the Human-Centered Design level without transforming toward Design as Strategy. The study proposes the concept of the “Design Thinking illusion”: a condition in which user empathy is achieved yet fails to sustain business viability due to an insufficiently framed wicked problem. Practical implications are directed at UI/UX designers to move beyond interface competence toward ecosystem design that builds switching costs and long-term user loyalty.