# Empathy Mapping

> Empathy Mapping

- Skill: `sethdford/empathy-mapping` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add sethdford/empathy-mapping`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/sethdford/empathy-mapping/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: sethdford (https://skillmd.com/u/sethdford)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/sethdford/empathy-mapping

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# 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.”