An overview of mapping techniques used in UX Design Process | by Anna Vasyukova

Empathy Map

An empathy map is a tool used to articulate what we know about a particular type of user. It externalizes user knowledge in order to 1) create shared understanding and 2) aid in decision making.

It is a useful tool that helps teams better understand their users. Empathy mapping is a simple workshop activity that can be done with stakeholders, marketing and sales, product development, or creative teams to build empathy for end-users.

Traditional empathy maps are split into 4 quadrants (Says, Thinks, Does, and Feels), with the user or persona in the middle. Empathy maps provide a glance into who a user is as a whole and are not chronological or sequential.

The “Says” quadrant contains what the user says out loud in an interview or some other usability study. Ideally, it contains verbatim and direct quotes from research.

The “Thinks” quadrant captures what the user is thinking throughout the experience. Pay special attention to what users think, but may not be willing to vocalize. Try to understand why they are reluctant to share — are they unsure, self-conscious, polite, or afraid to tell others something?

The “Does” quadrant encloses the actions the user takes. From the research, what does the user physically do? How does the user go about doing it?

The “Feels” quadrant is the user’s emotional state, often represented as an adjective plus a short sentence for context. Ask yourself: what worries the user? What does the user get excited about? How does the user feel about the experience?

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Empathy maps are most useful at the beginning of the design process, after the initial user research.

Benefits of empathy mapping:

• Empathy mapping allows us to capture who a user or persona is. It can be used to analyze qualitative research, discover gaps in your current knowledge, and create personas.
• Empathy maps are the best tools to communicate a user or persona to others by illustrating user attitudes, behaviors, and pain points.

https://www.interaction-design.org/empathy-maps https://www.nngroup.com/articles/empathy-mapping