Summary: Empathy maps help UX teams visualize user attitudes and behaviors, building a shared understanding of end users while highlighting gaps in existing user data.


UX professionals advocate on users’ behalf. To do that effectively, they need to not only deeply understand users but also communicate this understanding clearly to colleagues and help prioritize users’ needs . Empathy maps, widely used across Agile and design teams, are a simple and durable tool for both of these goals.

Definition: Empathy Map

An empathy map is a collaborative visualization that captures what we know about a particular user or about a user segment. It externalizes knowledge about users to create a shared understanding of user needs and aid in decision making.

Empathy mapping can be driven by any qualitative research method , and a map can be sketched even if research is lacking, as long as the team is honest and clearly distinguishes evidence from assumptions. Maps help UX professionals understand what they know about their users and where they need to gather more data.



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