A Guide to Empathy Mapping, Atlassian Team Playbook

Before starting, choose what to include in your empathy map. Each organisation’s map is unique, and ours is customisable. Avoid assumptions—use real customer insights from interviews to map behaviours, thoughts, and feelings.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Preparation (15 mins): Pick personas and the product or service to map. Set up the session by sharing personas and relevant data, and prepare a physical or digital empathy map.
2. Introduction (5 mins): Explain that the goal is to understand target personas genuinely, not just check boxes. Review personas with the group.
3. Example Run-Through (5 mins): To get the team into character, role-play with a sample persona (like a cereal lover) to explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
4. Empathy Mapping (15 mins): In pairs or small groups, fill in empathy maps, focusing especially on pain points. Consider what might frustrate the persona and how to improve the product experience.
5. Present and Discuss (30 mins): Groups present their maps, discussing insights, assumptions, and knowledge gaps. Refine maps as needed.
6. Next Steps (5 mins): Identify actionable insights and assign tasks, ensuring the learnings guide your next steps in improving the product or service.