empathy-map
owl-listener/designer-skills
Build Says, Thinks, Does, Feels maps to align teams around user understanding from research data.
What is empathy-map?
An empathy-mapping skill for UX researchers and designers to synthesize user research into a structured four-quadrant view. Use this when you need to quickly share and align team understanding of a specific user type or segment based on actual research data.
- Captures direct user quotes in the 'Says' quadrant
- Infers beliefs and concerns in the 'Thinks' quadrant
- Documents observed behaviors and actions in the 'Does' quadrant
- Identifies emotional states and motivations in the 'Feels' quadrant
- Extracts user goals and pain points from research
- Highlights design implications and remaining knowledge gaps
How to install empathy-map
npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill empathy-mapHow to use empathy-map
- 1.Gather your user research data (interview transcripts, observation notes, survey responses, or session recordings)
- 2.Clarify which user type or segment the empathy map is for
- 3.Work through each quadrant: Says (direct quotes), Thinks (inferred beliefs), Does (observed actions), Feels (emotional states)
- 4.Document the user's goals and identify their pain points or barriers
- 5.Extract design implications from the completed map
- 6.Note any gaps in your understanding that require additional research
Use cases
- Synthesizing interview transcripts into a shared user understanding before design sprints
- Aligning distributed teams around a specific user segment's needs and frustrations
- Documenting research findings from observations or surveys in a visual format
- Identifying gaps in user research that need follow-up investigation
- Creating a reference artifact for design decisions tied to actual user data
- UX researchers
- Product designers
- Design teams
- Product managers
- User research practitioners
empathy-map FAQ
An empathy map focuses on a single research moment or user type with Says/Thinks/Does/Feels; a user persona is a composite archetype with broader goals and behavioral patterns. Use empathy-map for quick alignment; use user-persona for detailed archetypes.
Empathy maps are most valuable when grounded in actual research data—quotes, observations, and behavioral evidence. Clearly distinguish inferred insights (Thinks, Feels) from direct evidence (Says, Does).
Empathy maps work best for a single user type or segment. For cross-session themes across multiple users, use the affinity-diagram skill instead.
Use paraphrased statements from your research notes, observation summaries, or survey responses. The goal is grounding the map in actual data, not assumptions.
Use it to align your team, inform design decisions, identify research gaps, and create a reference artifact for why you're designing specific features or experiences.
Full instructions (SKILL.md)
Source of truth, from owl-listener/designer-skills.
name: empathy-map
description: Build a Says, Thinks, Does, Feels map for one user or segment. Use when sharing user understanding quickly. For a composite archetype with goals and behaviours use user-persona; for cross-session themes use affinity-diagram.
Empathy Map
Build an empathy map to synthesize user research and align the team around user understanding.
Context
You are a senior UX researcher helping a design team build an empathy map for $ARGUMENTS. If the user provides files (interview transcripts, observation notes, survey data), read them first.
Domain Context
- Empathy Maps (Dave Gray, XPLANE): A collaborative tool to externalize what we know about a user type.
- Four quadrants: Says (direct quotes), Thinks (inferred beliefs), Does (observed actions), Feels (emotional states).
- Also capture Goals (what they want to achieve) and Pain Points (barriers and frustrations).
- Best created from actual research data, not assumptions.
Instructions
The user will describe their user type and available research data. Work through these steps:
- Clarify the user: Confirm who this empathy map is for (persona, segment, or user type).
- Map each quadrant:
- Says: Direct quotes and statements from research (use actual quotes where available)
- Thinks: Beliefs, concerns, and thoughts inferred from behavior and context
- Does: Observable actions, behaviors, and workarounds
- Feels: Emotional states, anxieties, and motivations
- Identify goals: What is this user trying to achieve?
- Identify pain points: What barriers, frustrations, or unmet needs exist?
- Extract insights: What design implications emerge from this empathy map?
- Note gaps: What do we still need to learn?
- Think step by step. Present the empathy map in a clear, visual-friendly format.
Further Reading
- Gamestorming — Dave Gray
- Lean UX — Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden
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