Empathy Mapping 101

Understanding your audience is key to creating products, services, or experiences that truly resonate. One of the most effective tools for gaining this understanding is empathy mapping. This technique helps you step into the shoes of your users or customers, revealing their thoughts, feelings, and motivations in a clear, visual way. If you want to connect better with your audience and design solutions that meet their real needs, empathy mapping is a skill worth mastering.

Empathy Mapping

What Is Empathy Mapping?

Empathy mapping is a simple, visual tool that helps teams understand their users by organizing what they know about them into four key areas:

• Says: What the user says out loud in interviews or conversations.

• Thinks: What the user is thinking but might not say directly.

• Does: The actions the user takes.

• Feels: The user’s emotional state.

  
  

By filling out these sections, you create a detailed picture of the user’s experience. This helps uncover hidden needs, frustrations, and desires that might not come up in traditional research.

Why Use Empathy Mapping?

Many projects fail because they focus on what the team thinks users want, not what users actually need. Empathy mapping helps avoid this by:

• Building deeper understanding: It goes beyond demographics and data to capture emotions and motivations.

• Aligning teams: Everyone involved in a project can see the same user perspective, reducing misunderstandings.

• Improving decision-making: When you know what users feel and think, you can design better features and experiences.

• Saving time and resources: Early insights prevent costly mistakes later in development.

  
  

For example, a company designing a fitness app might discover through empathy mapping that users feel overwhelmed by too many options and want simple guidance. This insight could lead to a cleaner interface and personalized workout plans.

How to Create an Empathy Map

Creating an empathy map is straightforward and can be done in a workshop setting or individually. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Gather user data

Collect information from interviews, surveys, observations, or customer feedback. The richer the data, the more accurate your map will be.

1. Draw the empathy map

Divide a large sheet or whiteboard into four sections labeled Says, Thinks, Does, and Feels.

1. Fill in each section

Use sticky notes or write directly on the board. Include direct quotes for “Says,” inferred thoughts for “Thinks,” observed actions for “Does,” and emotional descriptions for “Feels.”

1. Look for patterns and insights

Discuss as a team what stands out. Are there contradictions between what users say and what they do? What emotions are most common?

1. Use the map to guide your work

Refer back to the empathy map when making design, marketing, or product decisions to ensure they align with user needs.

Practical Example of Empathy Mapping

Imagine a team working on a new online learning platform. They interview students and create an empathy map:

• Says: “I want courses that fit my schedule.”

• Thinks: “I’m worried I won’t keep up with the material.”

• Does: Frequently checks course deadlines and reviews.

• Feels: Anxious about balancing study and work.

  
  

This map reveals that students need flexible scheduling and reassurance. The team might add reminders, progress tracking, and flexible deadlines to address these concerns.

Detailed empathy map with sticky notes showing user insights in four quadrants

Tips for Effective Empathy Mapping

• Use real user data: Avoid assumptions. Base your map on actual research.

• Involve diverse team members: Different perspectives enrich the map.

• Keep it focused: Create separate maps for different user groups or personas.

• Update regularly: As you learn more, revise the map to stay accurate.

• Combine with other tools: Use empathy maps alongside journey maps or personas for a fuller picture.