Empathy Maps v2 - Now with BigHead™ Technology!
In the world of Product Management one of the hardest - and yet cruicialest - things you need to do is to put yourself in the head of the User. This is usually done by
° Starting with a "proto-persona", a stand-in for the end-user. This can range from (usually over) simplified takes to somebody in the company who has experience being - or selling to - these users.
° Moving on to full-fledged personae, deeply-researched, highly detailed, nuanced ones, expensive ones at that.
A missed step between the two is building Empathy Maps (°), the main goal of which is to put you inside the head of the end-users.
Why?
Because,the more you understand what the see, say, hear, and actually do, the more you can understand what they want/need to do! (Note, the key here is to understand, to empathize (not to change...)
Read on for Dave's new version of the Empathy Map.
A key change is that the “Think and Feel” element is now central and inside the head. It emphasizes the difference between observable phenomena (outside the head) thoughts and feelings (inside the head), which can be guessed or inferred but never observed.
The large head in the center is one of the most important aspects of the map’s design - the whole point is to imagine what it’s like to be inside someone else’s head,the primary power of the exercise!
(°) For more on Empathy Maps start here - https://goo.gl/FApn3w - and Google on
° Starting with a "proto-persona", a stand-in for the end-user. This can range from (usually over) simplified takes to somebody in the company who has experience being - or selling to - these users.
° Moving on to full-fledged personae, deeply-researched, highly detailed, nuanced ones, expensive ones at that.
A missed step between the two is building Empathy Maps (°), the main goal of which is to put you inside the head of the end-users.
Why?
Because,the more you understand what the see, say, hear, and actually do, the more you can understand what they want/need to do! (Note, the key here is to understand, to empathize (not to change...)
Read on for Dave's new version of the Empathy Map.
A key change is that the “Think and Feel” element is now central and inside the head. It emphasizes the difference between observable phenomena (outside the head) thoughts and feelings (inside the head), which can be guessed or inferred but never observed.
The large head in the center is one of the most important aspects of the map’s design - the whole point is to imagine what it’s like to be inside someone else’s head,the primary power of the exercise!
(°) For more on Empathy Maps start here - https://goo.gl/FApn3w - and Google on
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