Free Customer Empathy Map Creator — Map Needs

See it work

Customer empathy map examples.

Same tool, four requests. Every drawing below is a real render.

What you type

Create a customer empathy map for a remote team manager choosing a work tool. In Thinks and feels, include worry that missed handoffs will hurt the team and a desire for visibility without constant meetings. In Sees and hears, include scattered updates across tools and requests for clearer priorities. In Says and does, include running a weekly planning meeting and asking leads for status summaries. In Pains and gains, include chasing updates as a pain and a shared view of ownership and deadlines as a gain.

Then tryAdd concern about onboarding new hires.Change the gain to fewer status meetings.

Matrix / quadrant · 2×2 / N×M quadrant convention · schematex-matrix

Rather start from a finished drawing? Browse 98 matrix templates →

The drawing

What a customer empathy map is.

A customer empathy map is a visual summary of a person's perspective in a defined situation. Common sections capture what they think and feel, see, hear, say and do, along with pains and gains.

It turns interviews, observation and support feedback into a shared picture without pretending that assumptions are facts. Make a separate map for each meaningful segment or situation, and label the evidence behind important entries.

Standard: 2×2 / N×M quadrant convention
Engine: schematex-matrix
Editable: Double-click text, drag nodes
Export: SVG · PNG · PDF

Matrix / quadrant: What a customer empathy map is

Who uses it

Who uses customer empathy maps.

UX researchers

Synthesize interviews into a shared picture of a participant's context and needs.

Care teams

Discuss the practical barriers a patient faces between appointments and daily routines.

Marketing teams

Ground messaging in a business owner's actual concerns and desired outcomes.

How it works

How to make a customer empathy map in three steps.

Describe it

One paragraph is enough to start.

“Create a customer empathy map for a remote team manager choosing a work tool. In Thinks and feels, include worry that missed handoffs will hurt the team and a desire for visibility without constant meetings. In Sees and hears, include scattered updates across tools and requests for clearer priorities. In Says and does, include running a weekly planning meeting and asking leads for status summaries. In Pains and gains, include chasing updates as a pain and a shared view of ownership and deadlines as a gain.”

See the drawing

Drawn by the right engine.

Say what changes

Every edit keeps a version.

Add concern about onboarding new hires.

V2 · DRAWN FROM V1, NOTHING RETYPED

FAQ

Common questions

What is a customer empathy map?

It is a visual tool for organizing what a particular customer thinks, feels, sees, hears, says and does in a defined context, together with their pains and gains.

What is the difference between an empathy map and a persona?

A persona is a broader, evidence-based archetype. An empathy map focuses on a person's perspective in one situation and is often used to make the persona's needs more concrete.

What research should inform an empathy map?

Use interviews, observation, usability studies, support conversations and relevant behavioral data. Distinguish direct evidence from assumptions that still need testing.

Should every segment have its own empathy map?

Create separate maps when segments have different goals, contexts or barriers. Combining unlike people can hide the insight needed to design for either group well.

Related tools