I once spent three years staring at patient notes and changing diapers.
Before I was a designer, I worked in hospitals and elderly care homes as I wanted to join the healthcare industry. I learned that patients tell you things long before they even say anything: how they shift in their chair, what time of day they go quiet, the small habits that change when something is wrong. Noticing these cues is how we see from their perspective as they may not be able to always tell you what's wrong and that level of attention is what sticks with me till today.
Now I design digital products, but I still work the same way. I watch for patterns in how people behave, especially the ones they can’t explain themselves. Where they hesitate, what they skip, what they do to work around their problems. I try to notice all the smaller little things that matter to them. That's my version of seeing. And that's how I plan to work on every project I am involved in.
Same way, I’m drawn to people who care about the minor details and the imperfect things. If you want polished small talk, I’m probably not your person. But if you want to dig into why something isn’t working, I will be ready with my pen and paper, ready to work. :)