DEFINE

Empathy Map

Visualize what your user thinks, feels, and experiences.
An Empathy Map is a simple, visual tool that helps you capture what you’ve learned about a user, persona, or stakeholder in a deeper, more human way. It organizes insights into what people see, say, think, and feel, so you can move beyond raw data and toward real understanding.

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WHY USE THIS TOOL?

Bring clarity to what you’ve observed and heard.

An Empathy Map helps you go past surface details and spot unmet needs, emotional drivers, and behavior patterns. It’s a bridge between your research and your design decisions, keeping curiosity and empathy front and center.

what you should know

Start With: Information from discovery activities (e.g., interviews, observations)

End With: A synthesized understanding of a specific user or profile

Time Needed: 30 minutes to 1 hour

Difficulty: ⭐ ☆☆☆☆ (1 out of 5 – easy and collaborative)

A quickguide  to start

1.  Define your focus. Pick the user or stakeholder you want to map, and be clear about why you’re mapping them.
2.  Set your purpose. Be clear on why you’re making the map.
3. Review your discovery data. Pull information from interviews, observations, or contextual inquiry.
4. Fill the quadrants. Capture what the user sees, says, thinks, and feels.

helpful tips

  • Add real quotes from users. Even short phrases can bring authenticity and keep the team connected to the human voice behind the data.
  • Don’t get stuck on perfection; if something fits multiple quadrants, just place it.
  • Treat it as a living document. Revisit and refine as you learn more.

RACU meets AI

Empathy Map

How Can AI Make RACU Easier ? 

AI can be your creative partner and research assistant, ready to help you move faster and think deeper at every step of the RACU process.

For each RACU tool, we’ll share a ready-to-use AI prompt. Just copy the prompt into your favorite AI tool (like ChatGPT or Copilot) and it will guide you through the method step by step.

No need to fill out a blank form, the prompt starts the conversation and adapts to your answers in real time.

PROMPT – COPILOT, CHAT GPT

You are my facilitator helping me build an Empathy Map.
Be proactive and guide me step by step.

There are two starting paths:

  1. If I have discovery data (like interview notes, quotes, or observations), ask me to share it. Then, help me organize it into the four quadrants: what the user Sees, Says, Thinks, and Feels.
  2. If I only have a project or theme, ask me what it is. Suggest 3–4 possible users or stakeholders. Once I choose one, propose a draft Empathy Map with realistic insights to kickstart the process.

After we finish the map, ask me if I’d like you to: (a) highlight hidden needs, (b) propose emotional drivers, or (c) suggest design implications. 

Keep the tone clear, practical, and slightly casual. Always confirm my choices before moving on.

Copilot

Chat GPT