Customer empathy map template
Gain insights into customer perspectives, needs, and feelings
Use template
About the customer empathy map
Customers have unique backgrounds, preferences, and emotional responses. Deeply understanding what your customers think and feel when using your product can give you a better appreciation for the problems they want to solve (and how you can uniquely solve them).
This empathy map is divided into sections for customer thoughts, emotions, concerns, behaviors, and more. Ensure a well-rounded view by collecting real customer feedback from different personas or user segments. You will also want to involve teammates from other departments, such as marketing and customer support, to get a more holistic view.
As you reflect on what you have collected, focus on the most critical pain points to address first. Making ongoing and incremental improvements to your product can go a long way towards improving customer experience.
How to use the customer empathy map template
Foster a deeper understanding of customers and drive user-centered product building.
Build your foundation Begin with basic information that you already know. Reference existing resources — such as personas, market research, and competitive analysis. This will give you a keen awareness of where gaps might exist.
Involve the team Gather input from people outside of your immediate team. Put together a customer research plan, if needed, to help round out your findings. Add comments and questions within the whiteboard to highlight where further discussion is warranted.
Summarize findings Identify themes in your map and summarize important information. Think of the map as a living document that will evolve as you collect more insights from customers and build solutions to meet their needs.
FAQs about the customer empathy map template
Why is the customer empathy map important?
A customer empathy map can help spark conversations about customers' goals, priorities, concerns, behaviors, frustrations, and more. By gathering these details in a single place, product teams can better understand what folks truly need — and can apply these insights to build more customer-centric offerings.
What are some customer empathy map best practices?
Use what you already know about your customers as a starting point. Pull in information from personas, customer interviews, and market research. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure your insights are diverse and comprehensive. Finally, be sure to update the map as you collect more feedback from customers and iterate on your product.
Who is the customer empathy map for?
This template is for product managers, UX designers, marketers, and anyone aiming to better understand customer needs and motivations as they interact with your product. It is especially useful for helping product teams prioritize features that will deliver the most customer value.
Is this template free to use?
Yes. To use this customer empathy map template, sign up for a free 30-day trial of Aha! Whiteboards. (You can also try this template in Aha! Roadmaps if you need a complete product management solution.) Easily customize the template to suit your needs, then share it with as many people as you want (for free) to streamline collaboration.
