Have you ever used a product you just loved? Some products just seem to have that certain difficult to define quality that just draws us in. Often, we don’t know how these products speak to us in such a powerful way, but it is guaranteed that the creators of that product knows exactly what they are doing and why you feel the way you do about the product.
How do you get to a product that draws users in, and is seen as a pleasure to interact with? Certainly there is a lot that goes into this, but one of the major keys to getting there is understanding users on as deep of a level as you can, and knowing their thought patterns and emotions, not just their behaviors. How do they feel? That is key to understanding how your product will make them feel. What are they thinking about? That is key to understanding what your product will make them think about. What you need is Empathy; the ability to understand the feelings of users. If you can bottle the empathy that you feel for users, and somehow distill that into your product, it gives your product a soul. In other words, it makes your product speak to them, and ultimately just be fun for them to use. One tool that is a great help towards the end of gaining empathy is the “Empathy Map.”
Creating an Empathy Map should fall somewhere after doing user research but before solutioning. Once created, the Empathy Map becomes a living document that continues to grow and adapt as you uncover new understanding regarding your user. It is possible to create the Empathy Map as soon as you begin research and let the document grow over time, or to do your research up front and feed that into an Empathy Mapping workshop with several other members of your organization. In our example we will choose the Design Diamond to explain the place Empathy Mapping falls in the process, though there are many frameworks from which to choose that have similar activities, so the Empathy Mapping exercise can occur into a similar place in those frameworks as well.
The first phase of the process is “Discovery”, where the primary activities involve researching and learning as much as possible about user problems. At this point, you will “diverge” in that you will collect a lot of information that may seem disjointed at the time, only to be consolidated in the next phase, the “Define” phase. In the “Define” phase you will take the research you created in the previous phase and consolidate it into meaningful artifacts that can be used in future phases. The “Define” phase is where the creation of an Empathy Map occurs, because it is one of the artifacts that can be created.
The Empathy Map goes hand-in-hand with User Personas, and it is a judgment call as to exactly when to utilize Empathy Maps in relation to User Personas. An Empathy Map could be used before creating user personas, in order to aid in the creation of personas by understanding the target users better. Additionally, an Empathy Map could be used after creating User Personas to add additional flavor to those User Personas. It is also not unheard of to use your Empathy Maps themselves as User Personas, as they are a perfectly reasonable format for a User Persona in and of themselves.
An Empathy Map typically has two major sections, each broken up into multiple sub-sections. The top section has four quadrants, and in the very middle you typically place an icon of a user’s head, which may seem overly specific and potentially useless, but it is a key reminder to keep the user at the very center of your thinking and decision making.
The four quadrants within the top section are:
In this section, you outline what you intend users to see when they use your product. What do they see in the environment around them? What aesthetic aspects are meant to stick out? What are the prominent elements that you intend to be there?
In this section, you outline what you intend users to hear when they use your product. This can be in terms of feedback they receive from your product and how it influences their behavior, or what they hear from other people when they are using your product. It can also include opinions they may be hearing regarding your product.
In this section, explore what your users say and do, which can include verbatim quotes, actions and behaviors, what their typical day looks like, as well as any terminology they use.
This is a key part of the empathy mapping exercise, as it gets to the root of “empathy.” Outline their thoughts and feelings, which can include: fears, hopes, motivations, dreams, and inner conflicts. It is also a place to put what you feel really matters to your users at a core level.
Below this top section, there is an additional section below that includes two columns. Those columns are typically:
Outline any frustrations or problems the user may currently be experiencing. What are their obstacles or pain points? What other challenges might the user experience?
What does the user stand to gain by using your product? What goals are they trying to achieve? How do they measure success? What other needs do the users have?
The first question to ask is, “who should be involved with the Empathy Mapping exercise?” The answer will vary depending on a variety of factors, but should involve the product development team, and could also involve the marketing and sales teams, the creative team, and potentially the business stakeholders depending on interest or influence. In addition, if you have access to any potential actual users, they would be good to have as a part of the mapping exercise as well.
Once you know who to invite, take some time to consolidate and distribute the research you have regarding the user, so that people can have the opportunity to come into the room prepared.
You should do a separate Empathy Mapping session for each User Persona, or if you have not created your User Personas yet, for each target user. When you gather everyone together, take a little time explaining the User Persona to the room. As previously stated, they should have received the information you have thus far, but still take a little bit of time going over the highlights of the research so everyone can be on the same page.
Filling out the Empathy Map section-by-section helps the room to stay focused, but for the sake of time it is possible to group sections. For example, you could brainstorm the top section first, then move on to the bottom section. It also is not unheard of to do the “Outside” sections first (what users See, Hear, and Say), then move on to the “Internal” sections (what users Think and Feel).
Whether you do the whole board at once, do each section individually, or do something in between, it is important to use timeboxing to ensure you make the most of your time and help the room to stay engaged.
At this point, you will likely find that several notes that are placed on the board have very similar ideas, so find similar ideas and consolidate them. After the similar ones are consolidated, validate with the rest of the room that these are all accurate. Are there any disagreements that all of these notes represent true user behavior for this User Persona? If so, it merits discussion. As the owner of the Empathy Mapping session, use discretion regarding whether all ideas are equally valid.
After the session, summarize findings for the broader team and ensure the artifact is transparent and easy to pull insights from. Keep in mind that this is a professional document, so when you share it more broadly ensure that you clean it up. Remove any emojis or anything else that may make it seem unprofessional, which can cause some people to have a lack of confidence in the Empathy Map.
At this point you have a clear understanding of what Empathy Mapping is, how to use it to gain a deeper understanding of your users (and thus create better products for them), and how to run an Empathy Mapping session. You will enjoy the process of delighting your users by creating great products, with this tool being a great part of your journey.