Empathy Map Canvas
In order to create products that truly work for people, we need to first empathize with them...to walk a mile in their shoes...to understand what makes them tick and what ticks them off.
OVERVIEW:
In order to create products that truly work for people, we need to first empathize with them...to walk a mile in their shoes...to understand what makes them tick and what ticks them off.
The Empathy Map allows us to experience things from our customers' perspective. This exercise goes well beyond their surface needs (what they say they want) and digs into the latent needs as well as the emotional triggers that drive their behavior and impact the decisions they make.
You can build an individual Empathy Map for each person you conduct research with or you can combine multiple people into one, persona-like Empathy Map.
WHY DO IT?
Generate a solid foundation of understanding/empathy for your customers
Garner alignment among your team
Find themes and generate insights for future ideation
Help your core team socialize "Voice of the Customer" outward to stakeholders
Reduce personal bias from your designs
Reveal latent needs that your customers are not aware they have
WORKSHOP PREPARATION:
Works best with 2-4 People
Time: 1-2 hrs depending amount of data & number of maps you're creating
Supplies: This Miro board, an open mind, and some humility!
WORKSHOP FLOW:
1. Start with the data. It could be:
Notes from customer interviews
Feedback gathered from your customer experience team
Observations from watching people interact with you product
Any way you can get first-hand input from customers
2. Add sticky notes to the board:
Break that data down into one thought or concept per sticky note
Place them on the board wherever they make the most sense. Keep in mind that some notes could easily live in more than one spot. Don't sweat it...make a quick decision and keep moving
Everyone should work alone until all notes are arranged on the board
3. Open discussion:
Review the notes and think out loud to spur deeper discussion
Ask questions or challenge placement
Identify gaps in understanding—what else do you need to learn?
What Are We Capturing?
CONTEXT / INFO: Any relevant information about this person or group of people.
WHAT DO THEY SAY? Use "direct quotes" if possible. Capture their terminology.
WHAT DO THEY THINK? Listen between the lines. What are they holding back?
WHAT DO THEY FEEL? Their emotional state. Are they anxious? Ecstatic? Annoyed?
WHAT DO THEY DO? Their tasks? Physical behavior? Actions they take?
THEIR GOALS? What do they want to accomplish? Their 'Jobs To Be Done'?
THEIR PAINS? What frustrates them? What is getting in their way?
ADAPT:
I encourage you to consider how you might add to, or alter, this exercise. Your situation is likely unique. Can you start with your existing personas in the middle? Could you make this entire map centered around uncovering insights for one feature you're experimenting with? Could you add a narrative section to capture a story from each person?
The sky is the limit...have some fun and try something new!
Get started with this template right now.
E-Commerce Wireframe Template
Works best for:
Wireframe, UX, Design
The E-commerce Website Wireframe template is designed to guide you through your e-commerce website wireframing journey. Start with a basic black-and-white wireframe, which includes all the essential elements and screens for a full UI design — just customize it to your needs. This template is ideal for any e-commerce business and can be easily adapted for a restaurant, clothing store, grocery shop, or tech retailer. With customizable components and an editable color scheme, you can quickly personalize the wireframe to fit your specific business.
Service Blueprint Workshop
Works best for:
Research & Design
The Service Blueprint Workshop by Lidia Olszewska is designed for collaborative service design sessions. This template helps teams visualize service processes, identify pain points, and brainstorm solutions. Use it to align cross-functional teams, improve service delivery, and ensure a seamless customer experience. It's ideal for workshops aimed at service optimization, fostering collaboration, and strategic planning in service design.
Disney Creative Strategy Template
Works best for:
Business Management, Ideation, Brainstorming
Know who knew a little something about coming up with ideas that set imaginations alight? Walt Disney. And he inspired the Disney Creative Strategy, an approach that establishes three types of thinkers—dreamers, realists, and critics—and gives each the space to do clear thinking. Your team will go through an engaging exercise of adopting the three mindsets, where they’ll focus on a specific aspect of the idea. The Disney Creative Strategy has a way of yielding brilliant ideas and great products. That’s why it’s used successfully by organizations of all kinds and sizes.
Expanded Service Blueprint
Works best for:
Research & Design
The Expanded Service Blueprint provides a detailed view of your service processes and interactions. This template is ideal for comprehensive service analysis and improvement. Use it to align teams, visualize the customer journey, and identify opportunities for optimization. It's perfect for enhancing service delivery, fostering collaboration, and ensuring a seamless and efficient service experience for your customers.
Cheat Sheet Template
To ensure quick and efficient understanding and usage of a product, many products come with a reference guide or cheat sheet. Similarly, when introducing an unfamiliar concept to new audiences, a cheat sheet can effectively communicate the key principles and main features. The idea is to treat the concept as a new product and create a concise and clear reference guide that explains its intended purpose and basic specifications in a simple and straightforward manner.
Lean UX Canvas Template
Works best for:
Desk Research, Product Management, User Experience
What are you building, why are building it, and who are you building it for? Those are the big pictures questions that guide great companies and teams toward success — and Lean UX helps you find the answers. Especially helpful during project research, design, and planning, this tool lets you quickly make product improvements and solve business problems, leading to a more customer-centric product. This template will let you create a Lean UX canvas structured around eight key elements: Business problem, Business outcome, Users and customers, User benefits, Solution ideas, Hypothesis, Assumptions, Experimentation.