In product design, marketing, customer experience, or project management, assumptions about users or stakeholders can be dangerous. The gap between what we think people need and what they actually experience often leads to failed strategies. That’s where Empathy Maps come in.
Empathy Maps are a simple but powerful tool to visualize what a person—typically a user, customer, or stakeholder—thinks, feels, says, and does. When done well, they expose blind spots, clarify motivations, and align teams around real human needs.
This blog post explains what Empathy Maps are, how to use them, when they’re most valuable, and common pitfalls to avoid.
What Is an Empathy Map?
An Empathy Map is a collaborative visualization tool used to articulate what you know about a user or persona. It is often used in design thinking, human factors analysis, agile, and customer journey mapping exercises.
It typically contains six sections centered around the persona:
Says: What they say aloud in interviews or feedback
Thinks: What they’re thinking (but may not say)
Does: Observable behavior or actions
Feels: Emotional state, anxieties, and desires
Pains: Frustrations, obstacles, fears
Gains: Goals, hopes, motivations
The result is a shared understanding that helps design for empathy, not assumptions.
Why Use an Empathy Map?
Empathy Maps are valuable because they:
Force teams to think like the user, not like engineers, scientists or marketers.
Quickly synthesize qualitative user research.
Align cross-functional teams with a shared view of the audience.
Identify gaps in knowledge and guide future research.
Serve as a foundation for personas, journey maps, and user stories.
When to Use an Empathy Map
Use Empathy Maps when you need to:
Kick off a design or innovation project.
Debrief after user interviews or field research.
Refine personas or user journey maps.
Align teams in strategy workshops.
Re-center around the customer in product reviews or retrospectives.
How to Build an Empathy Map
Step 1: Define the User
Choose a single persona (e.g., “IT Manager at a mid-sized healthcare company”).
Be specific. Generalized users dilute insight.
Step 2: Gather Data
Use:
Interview transcripts
Observational notes
Surveys
Customer support logs
Analytics and behavioral data
Step 3: Map the Empathy Quadrants
Structure the map visually or on a whiteboard with the user in the center and surrounding quadrants:
| Quadrant | Questions to Guide |
|---|---|
| Says | What did they literally say? Any quotes? |
| Thinks | What are they really thinking but not voicing? |
| Does | What actions or behaviors are observable? |
| Feels | What emotions are they experiencing? (Frustration, fear, joy?) |
Pains: What obstacles stand in their way?
Gains: What do they want to achieve or become?
Step 4: Synthesize Insights
Look for contradictions (e.g., says one thing but does another), patterns, and surprises. Use these to:
Generate hypotheses
Identify unmet needs
Refine your product or strategy
Real-World Example
Persona: Emma, a project manager at a biotech company
| Section | Notes |
|---|---|
| Says | “We’re constantly firefighting.” “I just want reliable status reports.” |
| Thinks | “Leadership doesn’t understand how stretched we are.” “I can’t drop any balls.” |
| Does | Checks PM tools obsessively. Sends multiple follow-ups per day. |
| Feels | Anxious, overburdened, vigilant |
| Pains | Scope creep, unclear priorities, no time for deep work |
| Gains | Predictability, stakeholder clarity, work-life balance |
This map would help a SaaS company build better project visibility tools tailored to the emotional and functional needs of real PMs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Too generic: Avoid vague notes like “Wants to be successful.” Dig deeper into why and how.
Single-source bias: Don’t build maps off only one data source (e.g., a single interview).
Groupthink: Encourage diverse team perspectives when creating the map. Silence bias skews results.
Forgetting to update: Treat empathy maps as living documents. Update them as you learn more.
Tools for Creating Empathy Maps
Manual: Whiteboard, sticky notes, paper templates
Digital: Miro, MURAL, FigJam, Lucidchart, Notion
Templates often come pre-built in these tools with collaborative editing and export options.
In summary
Empathy Maps are deceptively simple, but their strategic value is immense. They bridge the gap between what we build and what people need, allowing teams to design with intent and insight.
Whether you're launching a new product, fixing user pain points, or just trying to understand your team’s internal stakeholders better (see my blog post on dealing with difficult stakeholders), start with an Empathy Map. It will change how you view the project and product with the end user in mind.
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