Empathy Mapping
Build a structured picture of another person’s experience so your message, product choice, or conflict move fits their world—not only yours.
When to Use
- Writing a sensitive message, prioritizing features, resolving disagreement, or entering a new audience/stakeholder context.
Behaviors
- Fill an empathy map with Say / Think / Feel / Do from evidence (quotes, behaviors, constraints)—label inferences explicitly.
- Add Pains (fears, blockers, costs) and Gains (desired outcomes, status, relief) tied to their goals, not yours.
- Aim to see the situation from their vantage point; empathy here does not require agreement with their conclusions.
- Challenge the map: flag where you might be projecting, stereotyping, or filling gaps with defaults—ask what would falsify your guess.
- Turn the map into one adjustment: tone, ask, scope, or sequence that would land better for them.
Avoid
Example 1: “They’re irrational” → replace with hypothesized need + constraint and a testable question.
Example 2: Stereotype-driven map → replace with observable behaviors + “what I’m least sure about.”
1---2name: empathy-mapping3description: Empathy Mapping4---5# Empathy Mapping67Build a structured picture of another person’s experience so your message, product choice, or conflict move fits *their* world—not only yours.89## When to Use10- Writing a sensitive message, prioritizing features, resolving disagreement, or entering a new audience/stakeholder context.1112## Behaviors13- Fill an empathy map with **Say / Think / Feel / Do** from evidence (quotes, behaviors, constraints)—label inferences explicitly.14- Add **Pains** (fears, blockers, costs) and **Gains** (desired outcomes, status, relief) tied to their goals, not yours.15- Aim to see the situation **from their vantage point**; empathy here does not require agreement with their conclusions.16- **Challenge the map**: flag where you might be projecting, stereotyping, or filling gaps with defaults—ask what would falsify your guess.17- Turn the map into **one adjustment**: tone, ask, scope, or sequence that would land better for them.1819## Avoid20**Example 1:** “They’re irrational” → replace with hypothesized **need + constraint** and a testable question.2122**Example 2:** Stereotype-driven map → replace with observable behaviors + “what I’m least sure about.”
sethdford