Empathy:
Empathy is the ability to understand someone else’s feelings or thoughts in a situation.
Empathy goes beyond sympathy. When you empathize with someone, you share their mental and emotional experiences. Empathy is at the core of everything we do. Approaching UX research with empathy makes it easier for you to solve the right problem.
Ux design is not about solving problems we assume users want to be solved. It’s about solving problems that users want to solve.
Empathy Map:
An empathy map is an easily understood chart explaining everything designers have learned about a user.
An empathy map consists of four squares that show what the user says, does, thinks, and feels.
- The word user goes in the middle right where these squares intersect. Now you’re ready to fill in the squares.
- The top left of your empathy map includes what the user says during the interview. Use direct quotes if you can.
- The bottom left square focuses on what the user does during the interview. We should observe and record the user’s physical actions.
- The top right square focuses on what the user thinks. This includes things the user doesn’t say but that you can tell through observation. Facial expressions are a great way to understand what a user is thinking.
- The bottom right square of the empathy map focuses on what the user feels. You can directly ask someone what she’s feeling during the interview so long as it’s done in an open-ended way.
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