Empathy Map
This past week, I led a 2-day workshop on Design Thinking for 25 staff from my organization and a partner organization. The first day was focused on the 7 design mindsets from IDEO and the second day was dedicated to the 5 steps in the design process. At the end of the workshop I asked my colleagues what they hoped to take into their work and a majority responded with “empathy mapping.” This was an exercise I led through them when talking about Empathy and I was surprised by how many latched on. Though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised considering more than half said Empathy was their top strength in both the mindset and process. Given this, I thought I would share a bit about Empathy as the first design phase, along with the Empathy Mapping tool.
Empathy is feeling with people. Sympathy is feeling bad for people.
Empathy is the starting point of all social design (and should be the starting point for most other design). Empathy reminds us to design with people whereas sympathy tells us to design for people. Empathy remembers that people are the expert in their own lives and have the wisdom needed for change. Sympathy assumes the designer has the wisdom and knows what others need for change.
Empathy leads to bottom-up design and development. Sympathy leads to top-down approaches. Design should always be collaborative. And it should always begin with empathy. Empathy as a design process emphasizes listening and learning.
You do not judge.
You do not assume.
You listen and learn.
You start with a beginner’s mindset.
Your only role is to understand.
“The main aim of the Empathize stage is to develop the best possible understanding of your users, their needs and the problems that underlie the development of the product or service you want to create.”
Some tools for the Empathy design process include:
shadowing
observations
surveys
interviews
focus groups
empathy maps
Empathy maps should only be done after extensive data has been collected (this includes qualitative data, even conversations). Try to make as few assumptions during this activity as possible. If you find that you do not know how to answer, you have not collected enough information. This can also be done alongside those you are serving if you want the most accurate information. Empathy maps help us deeply understand the complexities of those we serve and help us understand their needs.
Empathy maps try to understand what people Say, Think, Feel, and Do.
We are complex humans, we don’t say everything we think, we don’t do everything we say. There will be similarities and discrepancies and that is normal. Again, you are using data and your direct experience talking with people to fill out an empathy map.
Says: include direct quotes from people (interviews, focus groups, etc..).
Does: should come from observations and shadowing.
Feels: feeling language can be pulled from qualitative data, if good questions are asked.
Thinks: this is where you might infer from the data or ask directly.
Empathy maps allow for a deeper perspective of those we work with, their pain points, challenges, and needs. The discrepancies may show gender roles, cultural factors, or other personality traits that make us human. Don’t dismiss these, allow them to paint a depth and breadth of awareness of who that person is, what they desire, what they need, etc.
The template at the top shows the layout for a simple Empathy Map. I recommend doing one for yourself as a starting point of practice. Start small and think of a single/simple experience or situation you had recently that has stuck in your mind. It can be positive or negative. What did you say during the situation, what did you do, what were you thinking, what were you feeling? What insights can you draw from mapping out your answers?
Empathy maps are a great design tool. Try it out this week at work and see what new insights you gain. Here are few examples from other organizations.
