{"id":7628,"date":"2025-09-30T08:43:34","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T08:43:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bolif.telkomuniversity.ac.id\/apa-itu-empathy-map\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T08:51:57","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T08:51:57","slug":"what-is-empathy-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bolif.telkomuniversity.ac.id\/en\/what-is-empathy-map\/","title":{"rendered":"Empathy Map: A Tool for Understanding User Experiences"},"content":{"rendered":"

An empathy map is a visual tool collaboratively used to understand user experiences. It illustrates four main dimensions of what users say, think, do, and feel in their interactions with a product or service.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the design thinking process, deeply understanding the user is a crucial first step. One of the proven tools to achieve this is the empathy map. With a simple visual approach, the empathy map helps product, design, and marketing teams align perspectives, analyze user behavior, and identify insights based on real data, not mere assumptions (Nielsen Norman Group, n.d.).<\/p>\n

As a visual thinking tool, the empathy map makes it easier for organizations to transform research data into actionable empathetic understanding, thereby supporting more targeted design and product development strategies (Interaction Design Foundation, n.d.).<\/p>\n

What Is an Empathy Map?<\/h2>\n

An empathy map is a collaborative visual tool used to summarize the user experience in four dimensions: what they say, think, do, and feel about a product or service (Interaction Design Foundation, n.d.).<\/p>\n

According to Nielsen Norman Group (n.d.), the empathy map functions to integrate qualitative data into one visual document that is easily understood by the entire team. This tool is often used in the early stages of design thinking to build empathy, uncover insights, and serve as a foundation for creating user personas (fictional profiles based on real data).<\/p>\n

Structure of an Empathy Map<\/h2>\n

The classic empathy map is divided into four main quadrants (Interaction Design Foundation, n.d.):<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Quadrant<\/th>\nExplanation<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Says<\/strong><\/td>\nUser statements from interviews, surveys, or discussions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Thinks<\/strong><\/td>\nUser\u2019s internal thoughts or perspectives that are not always expressed.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Does<\/strong><\/td>\nActual user behavior when using a product or service.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Feels<\/strong><\/td>\nEmotions or feelings that influence user decisions and experiences.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Modern versions often add Sees<\/strong> (what the user sees) and Hears<\/strong> (what they hear from the environment) to enrich context (Nielsen Norman Group, n.d.).<\/p>\n

Why Is the Empathy Map Important?<\/h2>\n

The empathy map is an essential tool for product and design teams because it:<\/p>\n