Updated on: 18.01.2022

Empathy Map

Application:

Design | Marketing

Empathy Map

Visualisation of all user actions in a compact overview display.

What is it about?

The Empathy Map is an excellent tool to get a common understanding of the roles of the targeted user groups. In a clear four-part representation, the most important characteristics of the user are shown: communicative (saying), cognitive (thinking), executive (doing) and emotional (feeling). These fields are supplemented with the customer's problems and challenges (pains) and his opportunities and advantages (gains).

The more detailed and differentiated the user observation, the more meaningful the result.

Note

A perfect way to complete incomplete user profiles and avoid possible conflicts.

What is being done?

In the best case, the empathy map is created impartially on the basis of a personal interview in order to be able to fully empathise with the customer's situation. Only those who fully understand how and why the customer acts and how they do it can direct further service design towards precisely these actions and needs. Especially when technical feasibility and feature discussions take up too much space, a look at the common understanding of the customer can provide more clarity again.

  • The best results are achieved in face-to-face interviews. It is advisable to plan two people for the creation of the empathy map. In addition to the interviewer, another person is needed to record and compile the content. 
  • Allow about 20 to 30 minutes for the interview and the documentation during the interview. Often more time is needed afterwards to fill in open fields that remained unanswered during the interview - e.g. the tasks to be fulfilled (jobs-to-be-done). 
  • For the creation of an empathy map, one usually works analogously with pieces of paper, pens and Post-Its. There is a wealth of suitable templates that can be adapted and used accordingly. 

Step-by-step guide 

Select and prepare a suitable empathy map template

This can be sketched or printed out independently - an optimal format is Din A4 or Din A3. In the meantime, good online tools are also available, but personal exchange should not suffer from their use.

Fill in the Empathy Map as best as possible during the interview

Post-Its and coloured pens or even digital whiteboards can be used for this purpose.

Form active sentences using verbs and include as many thoughts as possible.

It is not about solutions, but about creating a complete user profile of the customer. 

Using the interview and the completed Empathy Map, fill in Pains and Gains after the interview.

Formulate challenges and opportunities.

Empathy Map Questions

Further guidance on the use of the Empathy Map

Perceive intermediate tones 

The empathy map aims to characterise the customer's emotions, opinions, thoughts and feelings. For an accurate assessment, more information is needed than that which results from spoken words. Body language, facial expressions, choice of words and tone of voice contain helpful clues that should be taken into account.  

To document all this hidden information, it is a good idea to record the conversation on video and watch it again afterwards.  

Additions as teamwork  

In the follow-up to the conversation, it is necessary to add the challenges of the client (pains) and his opportunities (gains). This should ideally take place in a team, as it directly reflects on the empathy map that was created beforehand. 

The information from the empathy map forms the basis for the creation of the persona and the value proposition canvas. Information on job-to-be-done (customer tasks) is also derived from this. 

Setting the right focus 

Often one gets lost in small details and a plethora of challenges and opportunities. It is better to focus only on the three most important points for pains and gains. 

Recognise contradictions 

A customer's actions, views, expressions and behaviours do not necessarily have to form a homogeneous picture. With the help of the empathy map, contradictions can be sought and recognised at an early stage. 

Document results in the long term 

In the first step, the contents and findings of the interview were recorded in the empathy map. In addition, the most important and impressive statements and quotes were also to be documented afterwards.  

To ensure that no information can be lost, it is advisable to take photos and videos of the empathy map that has been created.