Quality Improvement Zone

An empathy map is a tool used to understand the experiences, attitudes and needs of people within a system e.g. students, patients, service users or staff. It helps you to empathise and provides an insight into the group’s experiences.

Empathy mapping helps you to deeply understand the experience of individuals or groups of people through their engagement with the system. Visualising their experiences is useful to promote a shared understanding with everyone involved.

Mapping helps to identify unmet needs and potential areas for improvement within your system. It can also help you to determine how best to work with the group and which change ideas are likely to be most successful.

1. Gather all information about the group that you are wanting to empathise with (e.g. e.g. students, patients, service users or staff). This might be gathered through things like questionnaire responses, compliments, complaints, or any comments you've collected.
2. Use a template like the one shown and divide the information into sections based on the headings below.

• Think and feel: What are they thinking and feeling? What are their worries and aspirations? (Be careful not to make assumptions as these may not be accurate)
• Hear: What are they hearing from others? What influences them from their environment? 
• See: What do they see in their environment? What surrounds them, and what do they notice? 
• Say and do: What are they saying and doing? What is their behaviour and how do they express themselves? 
• Pains: What are their pain points? What challenges or obstacles do they face?
• Gains: What are their goals and aspirations? What are they trying to achieve?