STEP 1: COLLECT MATERIALS

Print out the empathy map on a large format printer (download link at bottom) – we
recommend at least 2’x 2.5′ (the bigger the better). Then, find a place you can hang it.
Next, buy a multi-color pack of Post-it notes and assign a color to each person you will
be interviewing or the user persona you might be designing for.

Image: A blank canvas ready for insights

STEP 2: ASK DUMB QUESTIONS

Ask “dumb” questions that leave room for open ended responses. The biggest insights
will revolve around these types of inquiries. “Why do you log in with Facebook?” “Would
you ever try and do this task on your smartphone?” “When would you leave this site and
go back to Google? How come?” “Tell us about what a typical day looks like in your
world”.

Quick Example:
When we worked on the Lowline NYC website one of our key users was people who
work at foundations that fund aggressive public works projects. During one of the funder
interviews, we asked, “How do you pick a worthy proposal?”. This person responded by
saying he scrutinizes the organization’s website – in particular, the “About” pages to
know the team and their vision. As he said, “these were critical and had to convey a
dedicated team with a clear vision.” This shifted our design efforts considerably.

(More on the story of the Lowline website redesign project here.)

 STEP 3: MAP AS A TEAM
If possible, as a team sit down and digest your notes immediately with Post-It notes.
Scribble quotes across the four areas of “Say, Think, Feel, and Do”. Great quotes
should be called out. For some of the areas, particularly “Feel and Think” you might
have to infer a bit based on the notes and everyone’s recollections of the interview. Tip:
Do this for every interviewee but be extra careful to make sure each person has their
own color on the Post-it notes. It will help tremendously to keep the map organized.

STEP 4: IDEAS – GO FOR QUANTITY

As you are going through the above exercise you will have ideas for your project. Some
will be great and some will be horrible. At this point, don’t judge just go for quantity. For
the Lowline NYC project, we threw out things like 3D virtual tours of the underground
park. Video shots of Lower East Side residents. Not all of these are practical (or
possible) but it’s an easy way to take what you heard and turn it into something creative
that can be built upon.

Everyone on our team from clients to devs and designers love this type of creative
thinking and the best ideas usually come from spending time listening to the users.
Mash-ups of different experiences or examples of other sites come into play as well.

Image: Empathy Map in Progress –

 STEP 5: TIME TO REST
Let everything marinate for a day or two after you wrap up the interviews. Add to the
map as you get inspiration.

Tip:
Hang the map in a high traffic area of your workspace or studio. Next to the break room
or on the way to bathroom. Put up a sign that says, “What ideas would you add?” with a
stack of PostIts and a Sharpie (be sure to use color that you haven’t used before.) This
not only encourages everyone to riff on ideas but also allows everyone to get involved in
the project.

For example, when working with DonorsChoose.org we observed how teachers used
the site as a sort of “inspiration” engine. Next, we looked at how the Songza website
has a very eloquent way to help you navigate vast amounts of music. A couple quick
clicks and you’re in. We mashed these two ideas up for letting teachers find projects
with two clicks on a quick prototype.

Image: Wireframe Idea for a Possible Recommendation Engine for Teachers inspired
by Songza experience

(Read the story of how we used these ideas with DonorsChoose.org’s desktop and
mobile experiences.)

STEP 6: DEFINE YOUR MISSION

Having reviewed all the human voices, charted them visually, and drawn inspiration you
are now ready to come up with your mission statement for the project. We stole this
next step from our friend Dr. Jim Patell who teaches the “Design for Extreme
Affordability” course and cofounded Stanford’s d.school.

Note: This simple statement brings everything into focus and acts as the perfect
foundation for your Creative Brief.

The most important part of the statement is the “because” part. It gets at the “why
you are creating this for someone else” piece that is so critical. It’s a beautiful forcing
function for your team. Without a focusing statement like this teams and clients can
wander around with no north star to navigate from. Over time, those with the most
forceful personalities or biggest title take control and push their vision. The user’s voice
is lost. This helps keep their voice front and center in your efforts.

Rather than beginning with shiny new technology, we start by trying to establish deep,
personal empathy with our users to determine their needs and wants. We must fill in two
blanks: Our users need a better way to ___ BECAUSE ___. The because portion is a
big deal.

Dr. James Patell, Stanford d.school Source: CNN