Empathy for a user’s experience is at the heart of creating meaningful solutions. An empathy map helps your team articulate the user’s perspective.

How To

  1. On a piece of flip chart paper or, draw the base empathy map with four quadrants: 1. Say; 2. Do; 3. Think; 4. Feel. You can also use an empathy map worksheet.
  2. Notice that “say” and “do” are very explicit and “think” and “feel” are implicit.
  3. Review your notes about one user’s experience and walk the map, writing down on sticky notes what the user said, did, felt, or thought.
  4. Use another color for another user’s experience.
  5. Once populated, step back and reflect on the content. Look for patterns and inconsistencies. What’s at the heart of this experience? Write down these observations and insights.
  6. Share your empathy map with some of the people who participated in your research. Do they have new points to add or qualify?
  7. From your discussion, you can start writing “How Might We…” or “Ways of…” statements that can seed a brainstorm of ideas.

Overview

Empathy Map Worksheet