Empathy Map workshop

About the workshop

Who is involved? Team work

Time: 1.5 hours. Time for preparation and write-up afterwards is also needed.

Preparation: Digital workshop: digital white board, meeting link, instructions on how to use the digital white-board. Physical workshop: print outs (A3 or A2) of the Empathy Map; post-it notes, pens; book a room and prepare it before the meeting.

Learning goals:

• More in-depth understanding of the stakeholders who benefit most directly from your activity

• Understand where the gaps in your knowledge are about your stakeholders

Results: Empathy Maps for your prioritised stakeholders

Step 1. introduction and setting the scene (0 - 15 minutes)

• Welcome everyone

• Short ice-breaker or round of introductions if not everyone knows each other

• Share the progress so far - the list of prioritised stakeholders

• Introduce the objectives of the meeting and anticipated results, alongside an overview of how the workshop will work and the timings

• Introduce the exercise and organise everyone into small breakout groups. Each group could take a different one of the prioritised stakeholders or a few groups could take the same stakeholder to compare and contrast what they have learned

Step 2. Empathise - see/hear-do (15 - 35 minutes)

Brainstorm on what this person would typically see/hear/do every day. This will help you 'empathize' with them. Stay high level though so that this does not become one very specific person but stays representative for a group of stakeholders.

Questions to ask:

• What behaviours do they have in common?

• What influences them?

• What kind of environment do they operate in?

Step 3. Pains and gains (35 - 55 minutes)

Once you have a clear picture, it is time to make the connection to the things you do. Figuring this out will be key to working out what impact you may aspire to. How can you make stakeholders' lives a little better?

Questions to ask:

• What hinders them in their job that you could play a role in?

• Or, turn the question around and ask what things you offer that can make their lives easier, or better?

Tip.

Make sure the groups do not get too specific and spend too much time imagining what the stakeholder likes and doesn't like. Your primary job is to find out what this stakeholder experiences as pains and how your work can help relieve that pain (gains).

Step 4. Discussion (55 - 1 hr 20 minutes)

Ask a representative from each group to give a brief summary of their findings.

Questions to ask:

• What is missing?

• Does anyone disagree with anything on the empathy map?

• Does everyone have the same understanding of the stakeholders?

• What are the most most relevant characteristics? What could be removed to help streamline our understanding of the stakeholder?

Step 5. Tidy up and close (1 hr 20 minutes - 1 hr 30 minutes)

Take a picture of each Empathy Map or document your findings somehow, so you can refer to these when you need to.

It’s now time to thank your participants for their contributions and summarise what you have achieved in your workshop. You should set out the next steps and set clear expectations of your colleagues, including how they can get more involved if they want to.