What is an empathy map?

An empathy map is a template that captures what a person says, thinks, does, and feels, so you design from the user's reality instead of your assumptions. It is built from research such as interviews and observations you have already done.

When should you use an empathy map?

Use it after a user interview gives you the raw input the map needs, and before you turn it into a persona and customer journey map. It works best built from real research rather than invented at a desk.

Empathy Map Template (With an Example)

An empathy map template is the first step to seeing the world the way your user sees it. It captures what a person says, thinks, does, and feels — so you design from their reality, not your assumptions.

It’s built from research: the interviews and observations you’ve already done. Filled in well, it becomes the background you need to write a persona and to align a team on who the user really is.

Why it works: an empathy map turns scattered research into a shared, human picture of the user. It surfaces the gaps between what people say and what they actually do — which is usually where the strongest insights live.

What goes in an empathy map

The classic map has eight zones around the user:

Seeing — what’s in their environment, what they’re exposed to.
Saying — their words, and how they say them.
Doing — their daily actions, and where actions contradict words.
Thinking — their beliefs, what matters to them.
Hearing — what friends, colleagues, and influences tell them.
Feeling — their hopes, fears, and what makes them feel good or bad.
Pains — frustrations, obstacles, and worries.
Gains — wants, needs, and how they measure success.

How to use the template

Base it on real input. An empathy map built from interviews carries weight; one invented at a desk is a guess.
Write needs as verbs, not nouns. “Needs a car” points to a premature solution; “needs to save time” is an insight.
Quote the user directly. Real phrasing beats your paraphrase.
Stay in character. Especially in “thinking” and “feeling,” capture the user’s view, not yours.

Team of 1–5 people, 20–40 minutes, with a big sheet, markers, and sticky notes.

An illustrative example: Maya

Built around the same user as our persona — Maya, a long-term freelancer dealing with her bank:

Saying: “Because I work for myself, I have to track everything myself.”
Doing: Calls the bank’s call center to check activity, even though it’s slow — because the online portal confuses her.
Thinking: “Did that client actually pay me? I can’t tell, and I can’t plan until I know.”
Feeling: Anxious around every payment date; wary of being upsold when she just wants an answer.
Pains: Irregular income; a confusing portal; long call-center waits.
Gains: Knowing instantly when money arrives; being able to self-serve simple questions.

Read across the pains and gains and the design opening is obvious: a deposit notification removes the anxiety that drives every call.

What to use before and after

Before: a user interview gives you the raw input the map needs.
After: turn the map into a persona, then map the customer journey.

To see how this kind of research becomes a portfolio story, read the UX case study guide.

An empathy map shows you understood the user’s world — the foundation of a strong case study. When you write yours up, Folioverse helps you turn that thinking into a case study recruiters trust. Try it free.