Its purpose is actually to simplify the empathetic-design process by presenting information in a visual chart. Why Should You Use an Empathy Map? Empathy mapping helps you go to beyond what users say to understand their behaviors and motivations.Ĭreating an empathy map often sounds more complicated than it is. An effective empathy map should help you and your team to identify areas where a user might experience painpoints-that is, areas for improvement. Putting the map together helps you to better understand the user’s thoughts, feelings, actions, and words. Once you’ve collected all this information, you can organize it within the four-quadrant diagram that an empathy map comprises, as Figure 1 shows. The type of UX research you conduct could vary depending on the project, but can include anything from user interviews, usability studies, and focus-group sessions to surveys. The first step in empathy mapping is usually collecting UX research findings about your target users, using UX research tools. What Is Empathy Mapping?Įmpathy mapping is the process of organizing your user research in a way that helps you to see through the lens of your audience or users. It helps ensure that they create the best possible experiences for the people for whom they are designing a product or service-the users. Many UX designers and strategists use empathy mapping as part of their design-thinking process. Figure 1 shows an example of a four-quadrant empathy map. You can also map out the perceptions, motivations, and behaviors that drive their decisions. Using an empathy map, you can paint a picture of your users-and how they engage with products, services, and the world around them. This method helps you step into the shoes of your target users and understand how they think, feel, and act. An empathy map is a design tool that is particularly useful in UX design.

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