Guide to creating an Empathy Map and User Personas for a successful Brainstorming Session

On this week’s episode of weekly reflection, I am writing on one of the core skills or tools for a successful digital product to come life. During the design process, the UI/UX designer and other team members come together to share ideas to create products from scratch to finish.

Brainstorming is a fundamental part of the design process, especially in UI/UX design, where designers seek creative solutions to user problems. In brainstorming, a team comes together to generate as many ideas as possible, without judgement, allowing for a wide variety of solutions to emerge. This is crucial to developing a deep understanding of the user's needs and pain points.?

To guide this process effectively, design thinking tools such as Empathy Maps and User Personas are used. These tools help create a focused, user-centred brainstorming session by providing insights into the users' thoughts, feelings, needs, and behaviours.

Creating an Empathy Map

An empathy map is a collaborative tool used to visualise what we know about a particular type of user. It externalises knowledge about users to create a shared understanding and aid in decision-making. The empathy map breaks down a user’s experiences into four quadrants: Say, Think, Feel, and Do.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an Empathy Map

Define Your User

Start by identifying the user you’re trying to understand. This could be based on interviews, surveys, or other user research. For example, let’s consider a user who is looking for a house to rent. We’ll call her “Adesua”, a 30-year-old professional working in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

Segment the Empathy Map

An empathy map is divided into four main quadrants. Which are;

• Say: What does Adesua say about her house-hunting experience? For example, she might say, “It’s so frustrating trying to find a good house online.”
• Think: What is Adesua thinking? She might think, "Are the listings I'm seeing even up-to-date?"
• Feel: How does Adesua feel about her situation? Adesua may feel stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed by the lack of transparency in the system.
• Do: What actions does Adesua take? For instance, she spends hours scrolling through different property websites, contacting agents, and visiting homes.

Gather Data

• Conduct interviews or user research to gather qualitative data that will inform your empathy map.
• Ask questions like: “What frustrates you the most about your current process?” or “What tools do you use when searching for houses?”

Fill in the Empathy Map

Once you have gathered enough data, collaboratively fill in the empathy map with your team.

For example:

Say: “Most of the houses I like are already rented.”

Think: “I wish there was an easier way to verify listings.”

Feel: Overwhelmed and distrustful of agents.

Do: Contact multiple agents and cross-check listings manually.

Use the Map to Drive Brainstorming

Now that you have a clearer view of Adesua’s experience, you can use the empathy map to brainstorm solutions that address her specific needs and pain points. For example, you might generate ideas like “Create a verified listings platform” or “Develop a system that shows real-time availability.”

Creating a User Persona

User personas are semi-fictional characters that represent different types of users who might use a product or service. A well-defined persona helps the team focus on the needs of real users and keeps the brainstorming process grounded in reality.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a User Persona

Collect User Data

Start with real data from user research. This can include interviews, surveys, or behavioural analytics. For example, Adesua could be the persona representing young professionals searching for housing in urban areas.

Identify Key User Characteristics

Based on the data, identify common user characteristics such as demographics, goals, behaviours, and pain points.

• Adesua key characteristics might be:

Demographics: Female, 30 years old, works in Benin City, Edo State, earns NGN 250,000 monthly.

Behaviours: She uses mobile apps like Instagram and Google Maps, prefers trusted recommendations, and spends about an hour daily searching for rental properties.

• Goals: Adesua wants to find a well-maintained, affordable apartment close to her workplace.
• Pain Points:?

She is frustrated by outdated listings and unreliable agents.

Waste of time visiting homes that don’t meet her criteria, difficulty verifying the accuracy of listings

Create a Persona Profile

Now, put together a profile that includes:

• Name: Adesua
• Age: 30
• Occupation: Project Manager
• Background: Lives in Benin City, Edo State, frequently relocates due to job changes, values convenience and trustworthiness in service providers.
• Goals: Find a well-maintained, affordable apartment close to her workplace.
• Pain Points:?

She is frustrated by outdated listings and unreliable agents.

Waste of time visiting homes that don’t meet her criteria, difficulty verifying the accuracy of listings.

• Technological Comfort: Comfortable using apps and social media for communication.

Make the Persona Visual

Add images, quotes, and other elements to bring the persona to life. For example, you could include a picture of Adesua (from a stock photo) and add quotes like, “I’m always skeptical about listings and unreliable property agents.”

Use the Persona to Brainstorm Solutions

During brainstorming sessions, refer back to Adesua’s persona. Every idea generated should be validated against her goals and pain points. For example, if you brainstorm a new housing search feature, ask, "Would Adesua use this? Does it solve her problem?"

Combining Empathy Maps and User Personas for Effective Brainstorming

Let’s assume you’re working on an app that helps people find homes to rent. You’ve already created Adesua’s empathy map and user persona. Now it’s time to brainstorm.

Empathy Map Insights

• Adesua feels frustrated because she’s tired of outdated listings.
• She’s constantly thinking about how much time she’s wasting.
• She says she wants more trust in agents.
• She’s actively checking multiple websites every day.

User Persona Details

• Adesua values efficiency and transparency.
• Her goal is to find a well-maintained, affordable apartment close to her workplace.

Brainstorming Solutions

By using Adesua’s persona and empathy map, you generate the following ideas:

• A platform that only shows verified, real-time listings.
• A feature where users can rate and review property agents, increasing transparency.
• A map-based search tool that highlights proximity to her workplace and other key locations.

By keeping Adesua's needs and pain points at the centre of the discussion, you ensure that the solutions you brainstorm are user-centred and address her real problems.

Finally, Empathy Maps and User Personas are essential tools in the design thinking process. They help ground brainstorming sessions in real user data, ensuring that solutions are not only creative but also meaningful. Through empathy mapping, you understand a user’s emotions, thoughts, and actions, while user personas help solidify those insights into actionable, relatable profiles. By combining these tools, UI/UX designers can effectively brainstorm user-centred solutions, improving the chances of delivering a product that truly meets user needs.

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