Discover · Empathy Map
Know the person
before you solve
their problem.
A structured session that builds shared understanding of who you're designing for — what they say, think, do, and feel — before anyone proposes a solution.
The Four Quadrants
One canvas. Four angles.
Each quadrant looks at the same person through a different lens. Together they give your team a fuller picture than any single observation could.
Says
Direct quotes and things the person has been heard saying. Anchors the exercise in real words — not assumed words.
Thinks
What might they be thinking but not saying aloud? The gap between Says and Thinks is often where the real problem lives.
Does
Observable actions and behaviours. What do you actually see them doing — regardless of what they say they do?
Feels
The emotional undercurrent. Frustrations, anxieties, motivations. Understanding this changes how you frame a solution.
The Canvas
Four lenses. One person.
Each quadrant comes with guiding prompts and example entries — so no one stares at a blank canvas.
Says
Words they've said aloud.
Direct quotes, phrases overheard in meetings, things said in interviews. What the person actually said — not what you think they meant.
Thinks
What they don't say.
Internal monologue. The worry they carry into every meeting. The gap between this and Says is where problems hide.
Does
Observable behaviour.
What do you actually see them doing? Actions speak louder than stated preferences. This quadrant grounds the exercise in observation, not assumption.
Feels
The emotional undercurrent.
Frustration, anxiety, motivation, pride. Understanding what a person feels changes how you frame any solution — and whether they'll use it.
Session Output
The session ends
with something
you can use.
Export a clean summary the moment the session is done.
The artifact captures everything in one place — session title, the person you mapped, and every entry per quadrant. Copy it straight into a product spec, a backlog item, or the next step in your workflow.
No reformatting. No manual write-up. The work the team did in the session is the output.
Empathy Map Export
Says
— "I never know where the project actually stands."
— "Can we just make a decision and move on?"
Thinks
— "I don't think the team trusts my judgement."
Does
— Checks messages during the standup.
Feels
— Anxious before every review with no clear metrics to show.
For Every Role
Everyone in the room gets something from it.
The Empathy Map works because it gives each person a different reason to care about the outcome.
Facilitator
A structured canvas that runs itself. Guided prompts and example entries remove the blank-page problem. The session ends with a real artifact — not a whiteboard photo nobody looks at again.
Contributor
A clear structure to contribute within. No loud voices dominating the direction. Every quadrant is an equal prompt — not a free-for-all.
Decision-Maker
A clean export that feeds directly into specs, roadmap items, or the next session. No re-processing. No chasing the facilitator for a write-up.