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Designer-skills empathy-map

Build a 4-quadrant empathy map (Says, Thinks, Does, Feels) to synthesize user research into actionable insights. Use when you need to quickly capture and share user understanding across the team.

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/Owl-Listener/designer-skills
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/Owl-Listener/designer-skills "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/design-research/skills/empathy-map" ~/.claude/skills/owl-listener-designer-skills-empathy-map && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: design-research/skills/empathy-map/SKILL.md
source content

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:

  1. Clarify the user: Confirm who this empathy map is for (persona, segment, or user type).
  2. 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
  1. Identify goals: What is this user trying to achieve?
  2. Identify pain points: What barriers, frustrations, or unmet needs exist?
  3. Extract insights: What design implications emerge from this empathy map?
  4. Note gaps: What do we still need to learn?
  5. 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