Empathy Mapby Owl-Listener

Empathy Map Skill.

Share a user's perspective while keeping direct evidence distinct from interpretation.

UX Research
Synthesis

Source Review · Empathy MapSKILL.md

Task UX Research Produces • A four-quadrant empathy map • Goals, pain points, and design implications • Evidence gaps requiring further research Before You Start An agent that can read your research notes, a defined user or segment, and the design decision the map should inform.

Editorial summary · source reviewed 2026-10-07 · not a generated example

01 What It Does

Empathy Map: Separate Observation From Inference

Organize research into Says, Thinks, Does and Feels, then identify goals, barriers and unanswered questions.

Source-based workflowNot an execution benchmark

The Working Approach

Empathy Map organizes understanding of one user type into four quadrants: statements, inferred beliefs, observed behavior, and feelings. It supplements those quadrants with goals, barriers, and design implications.

The evidence distinction matters. A direct quote belongs in a different category from an inferred worry, and a plausible emotion should not be presented as something observed. The source asks for real research and an explicit account of what remains unknown.

Expected Deliverables

A four-quadrant empathy map
Goals, pain points, and design implications
Evidence gaps requiring further research

See the Example Brief

From Brief to Review

01
Choose One Perspective
Confirm the user or segment represented rather than mixing incompatible groups.
02
Sort the Evidence
Separate direct statements and observed actions from inferred thoughts and feelings.
03
Find Implications and Gaps
Identify barriers and goals, then state what the available research cannot support.

02 When to Use It

When to Use It

Use it to summarize one user or segment when the team needs a shared view of the available research.

A Good Fit

Team AlignmentGive collaborators a concise view of one user's context.
Research HandoffsMake the distinction between recorded behavior and interpretation visible.

Limits to Check

Not a Composite PersonaA full archetype with broader goals and behaviors is a separate task.
No Invented Inner StateUnobserved beliefs and emotions must remain qualified as inference.

Bring These Inputs

Target SegmentName the specific user type.
Research EvidenceSupply interviews, observations, or survey data.
Decision ContextExplain how the map will inform design.

03 Decisions That Matter

Decisions That Matter

Evidence Categories
The quadrants keep what people say separate from what researchers infer.
Visible Unknowns
Gaps prevent a concise map from appearing more certain than the research.

04 Try a Focused Brief

Try a Focused Brief

The example brief below has not been tested. Check the skill’s setup before using it.

Review the Setup

Load this task's SKILL.md from the designer-skills repository in your agent's supported skill location. No universal installer command is established by the entry file.

Upstream Source File

https://github.com/Owl-Listener/designer-skills/blob/9a6930cf84a822eb458624bd11c61aac5bbdf224/design-research/skills/empathy-map/SKILL.md

Provide research notes the agent can read. The skill organizes supplied evidence; it does not conduct interviews or observe users.

Start With One Deliverable

Adapt the scope, source material and constraints in this brief before running the skill.

Example Brief

Use empathy-map for first-time contributors based only on these notes. Preserve actual quotes under Says, put observations under Does, and label inferred beliefs and feelings. Add goals, pain points, and the three most important unanswered questions.

Inspect the Result

Check the actual output against these observable criteria.

The map represents one defined perspective.
Quotes and observations are not fabricated.
Inferences and gaps are explicitly marked.

OpenDesign provides a local design workspace for coding agents. This listing does not mean the skill is bundled or that its external tools, credentials and software dependencies are included.

Download OpenDesign Read the Quickstart

05 Source and License

Source and License

This page describes the pinned source revision linked below. Upstream behavior and requirements can change.

Source Owner: Owl-Listener
Repository: Owl-Listener/designer-skills
Skill File: design-research/skills/empathy-map/SKILL.md
License: MIT
Reviewed Snapshot: 2026-10-07 · 9a6930cf84a8

Editorial Source Summary

Organize research into Says, Thinks, Does and Feels, then identify goals, barriers and unanswered questions.

Original summary by OpenDesign, based on the linked source. Repository stars are a dated popularity signal, not skill usage or a quality score.

06 Questions Before You Start

Questions Before You Start

Can I make one without research?

The source favors real evidence; assumption-based material should be labeled rather than presented as findings.

Does Thinks contain direct quotes?

It describes inferred beliefs and concerns, distinct from the Says quadrant.

Is it the same as affinity clustering?

No. Affinity work finds cross-session themes; an empathy map focuses on one perspective.

OpenDesign

Make Room for the Next Design Iteration.

Keep your brief, source material and design work together in a local workspace. Check the skill’s own setup before adding it to your workflow.

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