Empathy Map

What is an Empathy Map?

An Empathy Map is a visual tool that helps teams develop deeper understanding of their users by capturing what users think, feel, see, hear, say, and do. This collaborative exercise creates a shared understanding of user perspectives, motivations, and pain points, enabling more user-centered design decisions.

Empathy maps are typically divided into four quadrants: Says (what users say out loud), Thinks (thoughts and beliefs), Does (actions and behaviors), and Feels (emotions and feelings). Some versions include additional sections for Sees (environment and influences) and Hears (what others say). This framework helps teams move beyond assumptions and develop genuine empathy for their users.

Why are Empathy Maps Important?

Empathy Maps are important because they help teams develop genuine understanding of user needs, motivations, and challenges. They bridge the gap between research data and actionable insights, making user research more accessible and memorable for team members. Empathy maps also align teams around a shared understanding of users, reducing assumptions and biases in design decisions.

This tool is particularly valuable for building empathy across disciplines, helping developers, marketers, and stakeholders understand user perspectives. Empathy maps also serve as a reference point throughout the design process, ensuring that user needs remain central to decision-making.

How to Create an Empathy Map?

To create an empathy map, gather your team and user research data, draw a large circle representing your user in the center of a board, divide the surrounding space into quadrants for Says, Thinks, Does, and Feels, and fill each section with insights from user research, interviews, and observations.

Use sticky notes to capture individual insights, encourage all team members to contribute, focus on specific user scenarios or personas, and look for patterns and contradictions between quadrants. Base your empathy map on real user data rather than assumptions, and update it as you gather more insights. Consider creating multiple empathy maps for different user segments or scenarios.