Customer Empathy Maps is a Key Tool for Startups to Understand Customers.

An empathy map is a collaborative visualization tool designed to articulate what customers think, feel, say, and do. It typically includes six quadrants:

• Says: What customers express about their experiences.
• Thinks: Their unspoken thoughts or concerns.
• Does: Actions they take to address their needs.
• Feels: Emotional states related to their experiences.
• Pains: Challenges or obstacles faced.
• Gains: Desired outcomes or benefits from your product.

Empathy maps help startups gain a deep understanding of their target audience, and tailor products to meet user needs.

1. Identify your target audience.
2. Gather insights to inform your empathy map.
3. Keep the map updated with new customer feedback.
4. Use the findings to prioritize ideas and product features.
5. Use tools like Miro or a paper template to fill in the map based on your insights.

• Pay attention to how users feel.
• Involve your co-founder and team for diverse insights.
• Make sure your map is based on real customer feedback.
• Update it regularly to adapt to changing customer needs.
• Use your completed empathy maps as reminders for future work.
• Ask thought-provoking questions to explore your audience’s experiences.
• Empathy map is a tool to help you focus on understanding people when designing.

• Gray, D. (2017). Empathy map canvas. Gamestorming. Empathy Map Canvas
• Musiyachenko, V. (2021). The empathy map: A human-centered tool. Empathy Map Story