Empathy map - Free Template

Visual overview - the full empathy map showing all four quadrants (Says, Thinks, Does, Feels) and how they work together to build a picture of someone's experience.

Summary card - a quick reference covering what belongs in each quadrant, the difference between observable evidence (Says, Does) and interpreted insights (Thinks, Feels), common pitfalls to avoid, and prompts to help your team get started.

Session guide - practical guidance on running an empathy mapping session, including how to choose your subject and context, where to source your material, how to facilitate the exercise with a mixed team, and what to look for when reading across all four quadrants together.

• Start with what's concrete. Fill in Says first, using direct quotes from your research. This grounds the exercise in evidence before you move to interpretation.
• One person, one context. Resist the temptation to map "our users" in general. The tool works because it's specific. If you have different user groups, make separate maps.
• Watch the Says-Does gap. The most interesting insights often sit in the difference between what someone says they do and what you observe them doing. Name these contradictions - they're features, not mistakes.
• Do it together. An empathy map filled in by one person is a set of notes. An empathy map filled in by a team is shared understanding. Different people notice different things in the same research - that's the point.