Empathy map[/caption]

A map from empathy is a graphical and collaborative display of your client's feelings, thoughts and attitudes in order to characterise and understand them. As you can see, the map includes four areas of information related to both emotions and thinking. Let's look at an example.

WHAT DO YOU THINK AND FEEL?

• Juan likes to take care of himself, so he eats healthily and does sport. 
• Sport allows you to stay fit and feel good.
• He is disciplined in his habits.
• She worries about eating out and not being able to follow her diet.

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

• Their peers who do not take care of themselves are not as healthy.
• That restaurants do not offer diets for athletes. 
• That his sporty friends do take care of themselves.

WHAT DO YOU HEAR?

• People complain about their appearance but do not change their habits.
• He hears about restaurants.
• They see him fit and ask him how he does it.
• Listen to those who don't eat well or do sport.

WHAT DOES IT SAY AND DO?

• John likes to talk about his exercise and diet.
• He recommends restaurants where he could eat what he wanted.
• Take care of your physical presence.
• He works out at the gym and goes jogging.
• He enjoys spending time with his friends.

WHAT EFFORTS, FEARS, FRUSTRATIONS AND OBSTACLES DOES JUAN ENCOUNTER?

• It is not easy for him to find restaurants where he feels good. 
• He does not like to eat due to lack of time.
• He does not want to lose his fitness.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? DESIRES, NEEDS, MEASURE OF SUCCESS, OBSTACLES OVERCOME

• Continue with your eating habits and exercise.
• Managing stress.
• He wants to excel and achieve goals.

A fundamental requirement to achieve the success in entrepreneurship is that of know the customer in depth. To this end, do not settle for what the customer says, but for what the customer actually does. It is not even advisable to be satisfied with what the customer says he needs, but to go beyond what he says he needs and identify their latent needs. The empathy map allows us to go beyond appearances and go deeper into the real needs.

What is the empathy map and how useful is it?

It is a tool that helps to understand clients in a holistic way. Understanding their their views, their environment, their vision of the world and their real needs. It is a tool of enormous usefulness within the Design Thinking process, but also appears as an essential element in the Business Model Canvas.

OBJECTIVES:

There are many objectives of the empathy map, but the fundamental one, around which all the others revolve, is to to give personality to a specific market segment in order to tailor our value proposition to the customer's needs. 

THE COMPLEMENTARY OBJECTIVES OF THE POSITIONING MAP ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• Identify our customers, know who they really are.
• How they use their time.
• Who they relate to. 
• What value proposition they expect and how much they are willing to pay for it.
• What relationships they would be willing to establish.
• What influences them?
• What inspires or guides their behaviour.
• What is it that really guides their behaviour?
• Through which channels do you want to operate?

Method:

As in any activity that pursues an objective, the tool is not an end. It is only a means that must conform to a pre-established route divided into the following phases:

SEGMENTATION

To begin with, we will identify our customers by grouping them according to attributes, from basic ones such as gender or age to more complex ones such as lifestyles, forms of use, etc. We will then follow a selection processfor stay with those groups with the greatest potential in order to focus our activities on them. 

HUMANISING

It is about giving human form to a more or less coldly described market segment. It is about to give it life, to give it a face and eyes, to know its name, where it lives, what its occupation is. At this stage we must consider what kind of questions would help us to get to know you better, understand your motivations, etc.

EMPATHISE

This is the core part of the process and will lead to the empathy map. This is the process in which let's get to know our customer better. 

VALIDATE

It is time to check whether the hypothesis (+) We have to go out into the market and see the reality as it is. The formulation of a hypothesis without more than that lacks all the elements of judgement to define its degree of approximation to reality. The problem is that many managers allow the assumptions to work as a truism and include them in their business plan.

The customer knows the product inside out, the customer is willing to pay so much, etc. Y, the badis that, set targets on that basis:

• We are going to sell so many units.
• We are going to bill so much.
• Our market share will come to that much.

Hypotheses can vary widely in nature but usually fall into one of two categories:

VALUE ASSUMPTIONS

Related to the product attributes and to what extent these are perceived as values by the customer. What real utility they find in the product.

GROWTH ASSUMPTIONS

They describe how the company will grow and, are found, intimately related to factors such as the % conversion rate from potential to actual customers, the evolution of margin x transaction over time... etc. The hypothesis validation of growth will show us whether the sales forecasts are realistic or just a guessing exercise. 

Getting dirty hands and validate that all these assumptions that we have made about what motivates the client are true (a step that we usually omit and that transforms good ideas into reality... or proves them wrong).

WHAT IS THE EMPATHY MAP FOR?

The empathy map is a tool developed by XPLANE (now Dachis Group), which helps us to better understand our clients through a deeper understanding of them, their environment and their unique view of the world and their own needs.

This tool, although it has been used for some time now in the design thinkinghas, in fact, won visibility and popularity of the indispensable "Business Model Generation". by A. Osterwalder, as it is an indispensable complement to the Business Model Canvas.

OBJECTIVE

TRANSFORMING CUSTOMER SEGMENTS INTO PEOPLE, TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF:

• Who are they really?
• What do they use their time for?
• Who are your friends?
• What value proposition do they expect?
• How much are they willing to pay for it?
• What relationship are they willing to establish?
• What influences them?
• What is the they say that guides their behaviour?
• What is it that really guides their behaviour?
• Through which channels do you want to operate?

What is the empathy map?

The empathy map is a a tool used in the design of products and services to better understand customers and their needs. It consists of a graphic that is divided into six sections, each focusing on different aspects of the customer, including what they think, feel, see, hear, say and do. The aim of the empathy map is to enable designers and entrepreneurs to visualise the world from the customer's perspective, to create solutions that fit their needs and desires.

Tips for an entrepreneur to take advantage of the empathy map 

SOME TIPS FOR AN ENTREPRENEUR TO USE THE EMPATHY MAP EFFECTIVELY:

1. Identify your ideal customer: Before you start creating your empathy map, you need to be clear about who you are targeting. Identify who your ideal customers are and focus on them in order to create a more accurate map.
2. Conduct market research: Conduct in-depth research on your market and your customers. This research will allow you to get to know your customers better, understand their needs, wants and motivations, and thus create a more detailed empathy map.
3. Be empathetic: In order to create an effective empathy map, it is important that you are empathetic and put yourself in your customers' shoes. Try to understand their problems, needs and desires in order to create a solution that truly satisfies them.
4. Use real data: Use real data and statistics to support your hypotheses about your customers. This will allow you to create a more accurate and reality-based empathy map.
5. Validate your hypotheses: Once you have created your empathy map, it is important that you validate it with your customers. Ask them for their opinion and feedback on your solution and make sure that it really solves their problems and meets their needs. 
6. Update the empathy map: As you move forward in your venture and get to know your customers better, update your empathy map so that it is always aligned with their needs and desires.

Remember that the empathy map is a very useful tool to get to know your customers better and create solutions that really satisfy them.

AN EXAMPLE OF AN EMPATHY MAP FOR A FAMOUS COMPANY LIKE APPLE COULD BE THE FOLLOWING:

• WHAT DOES OUR IDEAL CUSTOMER THINK AND FEEL?

  • Think that technology can be simple and easy to use.
  • You want to have a device that is efficient and does not waste your time.
  • You want to feel exclusive and different from the rest.

• WHAT DOES OUR IDEAL CUSTOMER SEE?

  • It sees an innovative company that creates high quality products.
  • See the elegance and sophisticated design of Apple products.
  • You see an ecosystem of interconnected devices that offer you a unique experience.

• WHAT DOES OUR IDEAL CUSTOMER HEAR?

  • Listen to friends and acquaintances speak highly of Apple and its products.
  • Hear what's new and released from Apple on a regular basis.
  • Listen that Apple is a premium and exclusive brand.

• WHAT DOES OUR IDEAL CUSTOMER SAY AND DO?

• • You want to have the latest iPhone or iPad model as soon as it is released.
  • He uses his Apple products for work, study and entertainment.
  • He shares his experience with other Apple users and recommends the brand.

This empathy map helps to better understand the needs and desires of Apple's ideal customer, which in turn can be used to improve the value proposition and create products and services that meet their expectations.

EXAMPLE OF AN EMPATHY MAP FOR A CATERING COMPANY

• WHAT DO OUR CUSTOMERS THINK AND FEEL?

  • They think that food is an important part of any event and that it should be delicious and presentable.
  • They feel the pressure to choose the right catering for their event and the need to impress their guests.

• WHAT DO OUR CUSTOMERS SEE?

  • They see the quality of the food and the presentation of the dishes.
  • They see the attention to detail and the ability of the catering service to adapt to your needs.

• WHAT DO OUR CUSTOMERS SAY AND DO?

  • They say they want a personalised menu to suit the needs of their event.
  • They ask many questions about the experience and the quality of the food and service.

• WHAT ARE THEIR NEEDS AND WISHES?

  • They need to be reassured that the food and service will live up to their expectations.
  • You would like to have a personalised menu and the possibility to adapt the catering to the needs of your event.

Based on this empathy map, the catering company could focus its strategy on creating personalised menus, improving the presentation of dishes and ensuring customer satisfaction by offering attention to detail and a personalised catering service.