Empathy Mapping – Global 2 Local Research Hub

An empathy map is a human-centered design tool for thinking about the perspective of the person for whom you are designing a product or program. The tool guides the design team to think about what that person sees, hears, says, does, thinks, and feels. In health research, the results of an empathy mapping exercise can inform intervention designs to increase the likelihood of the intervention’s acceptability, adoption, and effectiveness for the people it is intended to impact.

A preview of a document depicting an empathy map for a person with hypertension. In the center is a pictogram of a person with a blood pressure cuff on their arm. The page is divided into four quadrants with prompts to fill in titled "Think and Feel", "See", "Say and Do", and "Hear". — Download empathy map example.

Empathy Map – Patients with heart failure

Think and Feel What are their dreams and hopes? What are their ambitions? What makes them feel bad? And good? What frustrates and motivates them? What do they want to change?	Hear What are their family or friends saying? What influences and challenges them? How do they get access to their knowledge? How do they socialize?
Say and do What kind of attitude do they have? What do they talk about with their family and friends? What are their hobbies? What does their day look like?	See What does their environment look like? What media and apps do they use? Where do they go throughout the day?

Tools: Empathy Mapping

Empathy Map – Patients with heart failure