
A Simple Empathy Map consists of four quadrants. The four quadrants reflect four key traits, which the user demonstrated/possessed during the observation/research stage. The four quadrants refer to what the user: Said, Did, Thought, and Felt. It’s fairly easy to determine what the user said and did. However, determining what they thought and felt should be based on careful observations and analysis as to how they behaved and responded to certain activities, suggestions, conversations, etc. For exactly that reason, what users “say” and “do is categorized as “observed” and what they “think” and “feel” as “inferred” – this also allows you and others to distinguish facts from interpretations. What you might “think” that a user feels, might have been interpreted by someone else as something completely different.Customer Experience, Designing InteractionsUnderstanding the different aspects of the person(s) you are engaging with.Unknown, the extended Empathy Map is by Dave Gray.As mentioned before, the Simple Empathy Map consists of four quadrants. The four quadrants reflect four key traits, which the user demonstrated/possessed during the observation/research stage. The four quadrants refer to what the user: Said, Did, Thought, and Felt.
- “I think LEGO is hands down the best toys company in the world.”
- “I want something reliable.”
- “I don’t understand what to do from here.”
- Refreshes page several times.
- Shops around to compare prices.
- Looks around with ‘asking’ face
- “I am really annoyed by this”
- “This seems a waste of time”
- “Am I dumb for not understanding this?”
- Impatient: pages load too slowly
- Confused: too many contradictory prices
- Worried: they are doing something wrong
Try to identify needs directly from the user traits you noted. Identify needs based on contradictions between two traits, such as a disconnection between what a user says and what the user does. There are multiple ways to do so, of which Maslow’s Pyramid or Pinto’s Pyramid can help you define which needs your user is primarily focused on fulfilling. Start reflecting on how your product or service can help fulfill some of those needs.