Select an issue facing a company today (i.e. pandemic, social injustice, etc.) and fill out the empathy map with one of these scenarios in mind:

1. You are a manager trying to have empathy for one of your employees during this time who is personally affected by this issue.
2. You are a board member having a communication issue with a manager of the company, but you have just learned that they have a sick family member at home.
3. You are an employee who saw a change in your coworker's performance but learned that they are having family issues that are affecting them at work.
4. Design your own scenario that you would like to use to complete this exercise.

How to use the Empathy Map?

1. Start with the GOAL section, by defining who will be the subject of the Empathy Map and a goal: something they need to do. This should be framed in terms of an observable behavior. Additionally, provide an example of a strategic or non-strategic decision this person could make as it relates to the company's product or service.
2. Once you have determined the goal, work clockwise around the map. The reason for this is to give you a chance to imagine what another's experience might be like.
3. After the outside elements have been determined, then the focus can shift to the large head within the diagram. (This is one of the most important aspects of the map's design; what it's like to be inside someone else's head.
4. A completed Empathy Map exercise is a great addition for a value proposition design if one is designing the customer experience, products, or services.