An empathy map template is a collaborative, visual canvas designed to help teams capture and articulate what they know about a specific group of people, such as users, customers, patients, or staff. Created by visual thinker Dave Grey and introduced in 2010, the tool was developed to help teams develop a “deep, shared understanding and empathy for other people”. It moves beyond demographic characteristics to explore a person’s environment, behaviour, aspirations, and concerns.
The standard template is organised around the user at the centre, with the surrounding space divided into key experiential zones. The core quadrants capture what the user
–Says (direct quotes and defining words)
–Does (observable actions and behaviours)
–Sees (what they encounter in their immediate environment and the marketplace)
–Hears (what others, like friends and colleagues, say that influences them)
-At the heart of the map lies what the user thinks and feels, which is often subdivided into
- Pains (fears, frustrations, and obstacles)
- Gains (wants, needs, and measures of success)
What makes the empathy map template particularly compelling is its practical utility and collaborative nature. It helps teams articulate knowledge about users, distil rich insights from research into a single reference point, and reveal gaps in their understanding. Crucially, a completed map often feeds directly into creating more knowledgeable user personas and enriching specific touchpoints on a customer journey map. Experts emphasise that the template’s full value comes from grounding it in real user research—such as interviews and surveys—rather than unchecked assumptions, and that the discussion it generates is as important as the map itself.
The empathy map template is a powerful, low-effort tool that transforms scattered user research into a shared visual narrative, enabling teams to see the world through another’s eyes and make more informed, user-centred decisions.
