In “Empathy Mapping: The First Step in Design Thinking”, Sarah Gibson discusses what empathy mapping is, why it is important, and the steps in creating one. An empathy map is a way for an UI designer to understand their user better. In the center of this map is the “user persona” which is information about who this user is. From there it stems off into four different squares, “says”, “thinks”, “feels”, and “does”. Research is conducted to help fill in information into each square. For instance, during the interview whatever the interviewee actually says while going through the interface, or afterwards, is put into the “says” square. This is the same for whatever the interviewee thinks, feels, and does in the interview. If some information is lacking in certain squares then it shows that more research needs to be conducted. By the end of the mapping exercise the designer should have a good understanding of who their user is and how they do and don’t like to interact with the interface. It is important for designers to do this process from the very beginning so that they not only understand their users better, but so that the team as a whole is on the same page about the user so that they can create a cohesive design. It also helps remove any bias from the design process, discover weaknesses in research methods, understand what drives users’ behaviors, and leads the team to design effectively and efficiently. Gibson explains that the first step in any empathy map is to define the scope and goals of the map. After that the team should gather the necessary materials, collect their research, individually generate ideas for each square, collectively condense those ideas, and finally polish the map and put the information into action with a plan. This is an effective tool all designers should take advantage of as it can really help aid in the decision making process.
Gibson, Sarah. “Empathy Mapping: The First Step in Design Thinking.” Nielson Norman Group, 14 Jan. 2018, www.nngroup.com/articles/empathy-mapping/.