Empathy Mapping

Empathy mapping is foundational to design thinking. It helps participants place themselves in the perspective of those affected by the problem at hand and provides an opportunity to share thoughts, perspectives, and interpretations of others' experiences. The activity allows participants to examine what they think they already know about the problem and identify their underlying assumptions.

Stage one

Complete an empathy map for a person or group affected by the problem.

• The empathy map is split into four zones based on what the identified person or group says, thinks, feels, and does.

Identify facts versus assumptions, marking each with a red or green dot.

• The distinction helps participants recognize where their understanding is grounded and where they're filling in gaps with assumptions.
• Green for what they know to be true
• Red for what is assumed

Stage two

Groups are guided through a set of reflective questions to help push them to think more critically about what they've mapped and why certain assumptions emerged.

Fish is Fish is a children's book that illustrates how one's worldview is shaped through one's own lens. When we have limited experience or understanding of a topic, it narrows our perspective. The story provides, in accessible language, discussion points about how assumptions shape what we believe to be true.

Credit to Sara Ropp.

We encourage sharing the story with participants early in the session and refer back to it when discussing different perspectives or conflicting interpretations. Frame the story as permission to say "I hadn't thought of it that way" without shame when participants encounter ideas that challenge their initial assumptions.

Why we use it

• It creates psychological safety around perspective-taking
• Helps participants recognize that limited perspective is a natural part of learning and not a deficit
• Normalizes the experience of not knowing
• Reframes perspective-taking as an ongoing process of recognizing the limits of current understanding