From Empathy Maps to Powerful Personas

How to transform raw user insights into actionable personas that drivebetter product decisions

The Problem with Traditional Personas

We've all seen them—those beautifully designed persona posters gathering dust in the corner of the office. "Marketing Mary" with her stock photo and suspiciously perfect demographic details. The personas that everyone nods at during kickoff meetings but completely ignores when making actual product decisions.

Why? Because they're often built on assumptions rather than real empathy.

Here's the truth: A persona without empathy is just demographic fiction. But a persona built from genuine user understanding? That's a tool that can transform how your team builds products.

The secret is starting with empathy maps—and I'm going to show you exactly how to do it.

What Makes Empathy Maps Perfect for Persona Development

Before we dive into the "how," let's understand "why" empathy maps are the ideal foundation for personas.

Empathy maps are:

• Structured yet flexible - They organize insights without constraining thinking

• Collaborative - Your entire team can contribute, not just researchers

• Fast to create - You can generate one in 30-60 minutes per user segment

• Action-focused - They naturally lead to design implications

• User-centric - They force you to see through your users' eyes

Unlike jumping straight to persona creation (which often leads to premature conclusions), empathy maps help you synthesize raw research data first. They're the bridge between your interviews, observations, and analytics—and your final personas.

The Four Quadrants: Understanding the Empathy Map Framework

The classic empathy map has four quadrants that capture different dimensions of the user experience:

1. SAYS - Direct Quotes & Statements

What users explicitly tell you during interviews, surveys, or feedback sessions.

Example:

• "I check my email at least 50 times a day"

• "I'm drowning in project management tools"

• "I don't have time to learn another platform"

2. THINKS - Internal Thoughts & Beliefs

What users are thinking but might not say out loud. You infer this from tone, body language, and reading between the lines.

Example:

• "Am I the only one struggling with this?"

• "My boss will think I'm incompetent if I ask for help again"

• "There must be a better way to do this"

3. DOES - Observable Behaviors & Actions

What you actually see users doing—their workflows, workarounds, and habits.

Example:

• Keeps three browser tabs open to accomplish one task

• Takes screenshots and saves them in a folder labeled "Remember This"

• Checks phone notifications during meetings every 3-5 minutes

4. FEELS - Emotions & Emotional States

The emotional journey—frustrations, anxieties, delights, and fears.

Example:

• 😤 Frustrated when tools don't sync properly

• 😰 Anxious about missing important updates

• 😊 Satisfied when finishing a project on time

Some empathy maps add two additional sections:

• PAINS - Specific frustrations, obstacles, and challenges

• GAINS - Goals, aspirations, and desired outcomes

Step-by-Step: Building Personas from Empathy Maps

Phase 1: Gather Your Research Data (Before You Map)

Before you can create empathy maps, you need research. Here's your data collection checklist:

Qualitative Sources:

• User interviews (10-15 per segment minimum)

• Contextual observations (watch users in their environment)

• Customer support ticket analysis

• Sales team insights (what do prospects ask?)

• User testing sessions with think-aloud protocol

Quantitative Sources:

• Product analytics (behavior patterns, feature usage)

• Survey results (quantify preferences and pain points)

• Demographics and firmographics (B2B)

Pro tip: Don't skip the qualitative research. Analytics tell you what users do; empathy requires understanding why.

Phase 2: Create Individual Empathy Maps

Estimated effort: 1-2 hours

Start by creating empathy maps for individual users you've researched. This is crucial—don't jump to aggregating yet.

What you'll need:

• Large sticky notes or digital whiteboard (Miro, FigJam, Mural)

• Interview transcripts or notes

• Your research team (2-4 people ideal)

• Colored markers or digital equivalents

The Process:

1. Choose one interview participant Start with someone who gave you rich, detailed insights.

2. Draw your four quadrants Create a large cross dividing your space into four equal sections. Label them: SAYS, THINKS, DOES, FEELS.
   

3. Add a user sketch in the center Draw a simple face or circle in the middle. Write the participant's first name (or pseudonym) and a brief descriptor.
   

4. Fill each quadrant systematically
   

   • SAYS Quadrant:

     • Review your interview transcript

     • Pull direct quotes verbatim

     • Focus on statements about behaviors, needs, and frustrations

     • Write each quote on a separate sticky note

     • Example from a project management tool interview:

       • "I spend more time updating status than actually doing the work"

       • "My team uses three different tools and nothing syncs"

       • "I need to see everything at a glance"

   • THINKS Quadrant:

     • What were they thinking but not saying?

     • Read between the lines of their responses

     • Consider their tone, pauses, and hesitations

     • Note beliefs and assumptions they revealed

     • Example:

       • "I should be able to figure this out on my own" (said with embarrassment)

       • "Other people probably don't have this problem" (when describing workaround)

       • "If I complain, I'll look like I can't keep up" (defensive tone when explaining)

   • DOES Quadrant:

     • Document observed behaviors

     • Include workarounds and coping mechanisms

     • Note tools and processes they use

     • Capture frequency and patterns

     • Example:

       • Opens email every 10 minutes to check for updates

       • Maintains personal spreadsheet to track what's in which tool

       • Screenshots important information "just in case"

       • Works late evenings to catch up on administrative tasks

   • FEELS Quadrant:

     • Note emotional language from the interview

     • Add emotional cues you observed (sighs, excitement, frustration)

     • Map emotional highs and lows during their typical workflow

     • Use emotion words and emojis

     • Example:

       • 😤 Frustrated when switching between multiple tools

       • 😰 Overwhelmed by notification volume

       • 😓 Exhausted from context-switching

       • 😊 Relieved when a project finally closes

       • 😎 Proud when delivering ahead of schedule

5. Add PAINS and GAINS (optional but recommended)

Below your four quadrants, add two sections:

PAINS:

• Biggest obstacles

• What keeps them from success

• Costs (time, money, frustration)

GAINS:

• What success looks like

• Desired outcomes

• Metrics that matter to them

Phase 3: Create Multiple Empathy Maps

Estimated effort: Half day

Repeat the process for 3-15 different users from your research. This is essential for pattern recognition.

Why multiple maps?

• You'll start seeing patterns emerge

• You'll identify distinct user segments

• You'll catch outliers and edge cases

• You'll build confidence in your findings

Organization tip: Use different colors for different potential segments. For example:

• 🔵 Blue for "power users"

• 🟢 Green for "newcomers"

• 🟡 Yellow for "sporadic users"

Phase 4: Identify Patterns & Clusters

Estimated effort: 2-3 hours

Now comes the magic—finding patterns across your individual empathy maps.

The Clustering Workshop:

1. Spread out all empathy maps Put them on a wall or digital canvas where everyone can see them.

2. Look for commonalities Ask your team:

   1. Which SAYS statements appear repeatedly?

   2. Which DOES behaviors show up across multiple users?

   3. Which FEELS emotions are universal vs. specific?

   4. Which PAINS are most frequent and severe?

3. Create affinity groupings Start physically moving maps near each other that share similarities:

   1. "These three users all mention time pressure"

   2. "These five users all use workarounds for the same problem"

   3. "These four users all feel overwhelmed by notifications"

4. Identify distinct segments You should start seeing 3-5 clear clusters emerge. Users within each cluster:

   1. Share similar goals

   2. Experience similar pain points

   3. Exhibit similar behaviors

   4. Have similar attitudes and emotions

✅ What good clusters look like:

• Distinct - Clear differences between clusters (>30% behavioral variance)

• Substantial - Each represents significant portion of users (>10%)

• Actionable - Different clusters need different product approaches

• Validated - Patterns confirmed across multiple data sources

❌ Red flags:

• Too many clusters (>6) - probably over-segmenting

• Too few clusters (1-2) - probably over-generalizing

• Clusters based only on demographics - missing behavioral differences

• One person per cluster - these are individuals, not personas

Phase 5: Create Aggregated Empathy Maps

Estimated effort: 2-3 hours

For each cluster, create a composite empathy map that synthesizes insights from all the individual maps in that group.

Process:

1. Start fresh with a new empathy map template

2. Synthesize the SAYS quadrant

   1. Identify the most common statements (mentioned by >50% of users in cluster)

   2. Include the most powerful or revealing quotes

   3. Aim for 5-8 key statements that represent the group

3. Synthesize the THINKS quadrant

   1. What beliefs do most users in this cluster share?

   2. What assumptions unite them?

   3. What internal narratives are consistent?

4. Synthesize the DOES quadrant

   1. What behaviors are universal to this cluster?

   2. What workflows do they all follow?

   3. What tools do they all use (or avoid)?

5. Synthesize the FEELS quadrant

   1. What emotions are most prevalent?

   2. Map the emotional journey this cluster experiences

   3. Identify emotional peaks (positive) and valleys (negative)

6. Consolidate PAINS and GAINS

   1. List the top 5 pains (by frequency and severity)

   2. List the top 3-5 goals or desired outcomes

   3. Prioritize what matters most to this group

Critical rule: Everything on the aggregated map must be backed by actual research data, not assumptions or stereotypes.

Phase 6: Transform Empathy Maps into Full Personas

Estimated effort: 1 day

Now you're ready to build comprehensive personas. The empathy map provides the emotional and behavioral core; you'll add structural elements to make it complete.

For each aggregated empathy map, create a persona document:

Header Section

• Name: Give them a memorable name - Alliterative works well: "Strategic Sarah," "Tactical Tom" - Use real first names, not generic role names

• Photo: Choose an authentic-looking stock photo - Should reflect demographics from research - Avoid overly corporate or posed shots

• Role: Their job title or life role - Be specific: "Product Manager at Series B SaaS" - Not generic: "Professional"

• Tagline: One sentence from their perspective - Example: "I need to coordinate three teams without drowning in status updates"

Demographics

(brief - don't overemphasize)

Pull from your research data:

• Age range

• Location type (urban/suburban, or region)

• Education level (if relevant)

• Experience level

• Company size (B2B) or household situation (B2C)

Goals & Motivations

(FROM YOUR EMPATHY MAP'S GAINS)

Transform the GAINS section into 2-3 specific, measurable goals:

From empathy map:

• Gain: "Complete projects faster"

In persona:

• Primary Goal: Reduce project completion time by 20% to take on more high-value clients

• Why it matters: Each additional project = $15K revenue, and wants to hit $200K this year

Pain Points

(FROM YOUR EMPATHY MAP'S PAINS)

Transform the PAINS section into detailed pain point descriptions:

From empathy map:

• Pain: "Too much tool-switching"

In persona:

• Pain Point #1: Wastes 6+ hours weekly switching between Asana, Slack, Google Drive, and email to track project status

  • Impact: Missed deadlines, forgotten tasks, client dissatisfaction

  • Current workaround: Maintains personal Excel spreadsheet (which gets out of sync)

  • Emotional toll: Constantly anxious about forgetting something important

Behaviors & Patterns

(FROM YOUR EMPATHY MAP'S DOES)

Create a structured "current state workflow" section:

From empathy map:

• Does: Opens email every 10 minutes

• Does: Takes screenshots of important info

• Does: Checks three different tools

In persona: Daily Workflow:

1. Starts day reviewing overnight emails (20-30 min)

2. Opens Asana, Slack, Drive to see what's changed

3. Spends 30 min updating status across tools

4. Throughout day: checks email every 10 min, Slack every 15 min

5. End of day: 45 min "catch-up time" consolidating information

Tools Used:

• Asana (task management) - checks 4-5x daily

• Slack (team communication) - always open, checks constantly

• Google Drive (file storage) - uses for client deliverables

• Gmail (external communication) - 50+ checks daily

Psychographic Profile

(FROM YOUR EMPATHY MAP'S THINKS & FEELS)

Transform the internal thoughts and emotions into personality traits and attitudes:

From empathy map:

• Thinks: "I should be able to handle this"

• Feels: Frustrated, overwhelmed, anxious

In persona: Personality:

• Self-reliant: Prefers to figure things out independently before asking for help

• Perfectionist: High standards for own work, anxious about mistakes

• Collaborative: Values team input but struggles with coordination overhead

Attitudes:

• Toward technology: Pragmatic adopter - willing to try new tools if they solve real problems

• Toward change: Cautiously open - will change processes if clear benefit

• Toward risk: Conservative - needs proof before committing

Technology Profile

Describe their tech savviness and preferences:

• Skill level: Intermediate (comfortable with standard business software)

• Primary device: MacBook Pro (work), iPhone (mobile)

• Learning style: Prefers video tutorials and trial-and-error over reading documentation

• Adoption pattern: Early majority - waits for tools to prove themselves

Quotes

(FROM YOUR EMPATHY MAP'S SAYS)

Pull 2-3 of the most powerful direct quotes:

• "I spend more time telling people what I'm doing than actually doing it."

• "If I could see everything in one place, I'd get back hours every week."

• "I'm constantly afraid I've missed something important buried in Slack."

A Day in the Life Narrative

Write a 200-250 word story that brings together elements from all quadrants of your empathy map:

Sarah opens her laptop at 7:30am, already feeling behind. She starts with email. 32 new messages overnight, mostly project updates scattered across five different client threads. She quickly scans for anything urgent while her coffee brews.

By 8am, she's in Asana checking her task list, but realizes three tasks are actually being discussed in Slack channels she hasn't checked yet. She opens Slack have 127 unread messages. Her anxiety spikes. "I can't keep up with this," she mutters. She spends the next 30 minutes trying to synthesize information from Asana, Slack, email, and Google Drive to understand where each project actually stands. She updates her personal "master spreadsheet" which the only place where she has a complete picture.

At 9am, her first client call. She's scrambling to pull together status from four different sources. During the call, her Slack notifications keep popping up. Other projects need attention. She feels divided, unable to give anything her full focus.

By noon, she's exhausted from context-switching, and she hasn't even started on actual client deliverables yet...