Behind every engaged community is a deeper understanding of its members—not just who they are, but what they feel, need, think, and hope for. In an age where communities compete for attention, relevance, and trust, generic personas aren’t enough. What’s needed is a clearer, more human-centred view of the people you're designing for.
That’s where empathy mapping comes in.
Empathy mapping is a structured approach to visualising a member’s experience. It captures the emotional and behavioural landscape that drives how they show up in a community. Rather than making assumptions based on surface-level data, empathy maps provide a holistic lens into what motivates members, what frustrates them, and what they truly value.
Used well, empathy mapping becomes a foundational tool for shaping everything from onboarding and content strategy to governance and growth.
What is empathy mapping?
Empathy mapping is a visual framework used to capture and communicate what a person—typically a member of your community—says, thinks, feels, does, hears, and sees.
It is typically broken into key sections:
Says: Direct quotes or feedback from the member
Thinks: What they believe or worry about (even if they don’t say it aloud)
Feels: Emotional drivers—excitement, fear, frustration, hope
Does: Observable actions and behaviours
Sees: What surrounds them—online, in their industry, in their social context
Hears: Influences from peers, leaders, media, and other sources
The map helps teams move beyond demographics to create a shared, empathetic understanding of what shapes member behaviour.
In community building, empathy mapping is not just a design exercise. It’s a listening practice.
Why empathy mapping matters for communities
Communities are built on relationships, and relationships thrive when people feel seen. Too often, community strategies are based on guesswork, assumptions, or top-down priorities. Empathy mapping counters that by:
Humanising your data: Turning patterns and analytics into emotional insight
Clarifying unmet needs: Identifying pain points or motivations that aren’t being addressed
Aligning team understanding: Ensuring all contributors share a consistent picture of who the community is for
Designing with intention: Informing how you structure onboarding, content, events, or member pathways
Supporting inclusive growth: Helping you recognise whose voices are being heard—and whose aren’t
In short, empathy mapping is how you design for real people, not abstract roles.
When to use empathy mapping in community building
Empathy mapping can be used at various stages of the community lifecycle. Some key moments include:
During community launch or re-design
When you're defining your audience, building your first content plan, or creating onboarding flows, an empathy map keeps your assumptions grounded in insight.
During strategy or growth planning
When scaling or shifting focus, empathy maps help re-align your approach to evolving member needs.
After feedback collection or surveys
Transform raw feedback into actionable insight by mapping it against emotional and behavioural drivers.
For segment-specific programming
Design more targeted events, resources, or spaces by creating separate empathy maps for different member types (e.g. newcomers, lurkers, contributors, leaders).
In conflict or disengagement analysis
If something isn’t working, empathy maps help uncover the emotional reality behind the data.
How to create an empathy map for your community
1. Define your member segment
Start with a specific group—such as:
First-time contributors
Long-time lurkers
Community moderators
Paying members or power users
Don’t try to capture everyone in one map. Empathy mapping works best when it’s focused and specific.
2. Collect qualitative insights
Use multiple sources:
Direct quotes from interviews, surveys, or forum posts
Observations from events or conversations
Support tickets or onboarding feedback
Social media discussions
This is not about inventing personas—it’s about reflecting real experiences.
3. Populate the empathy map
Use a shared template or digital whiteboard and fill in each quadrant:
What do they say? (e.g. “I love this community, but I don’t always feel confident posting.”)
What do they think? (e.g. “Others probably know more than I do.”)
What do they feel? (e.g. Curious, hesitant, overwhelmed, grateful)
What do they do? (e.g. Read threads daily, bookmark resources, attend events but don’t speak)
What do they see? (e.g. Other members getting celebrated, lots of technical posts)
What do they hear? (e.g. “You need to be an expert to contribute”)
Look for tension between quadrants. For example, someone might feel welcomed but still hesitate to contribute. That’s where design opportunities emerge.
4. Share and reflect
Use the map to guide:
Community goals and programming
Content formats and tone
Role pathways and participation models
Onboarding or messaging updates
Invite your team—or members themselves—to review the maps and contribute insight.
5. Revisit regularly
Member needs evolve. Empathy maps should too. Schedule regular reviews to update them based on feedback and behavioural shifts.
Empathy is not static. It’s an ongoing practice of paying attention.
Tips for effective empathy mapping
Don’t rely on assumptions: Even if you “know” your community, check your bias. Let real voices guide the map.
Balance emotional and practical needs: A full picture includes feelings and friction points.
Create multiple maps if needed: Different roles, levels of experience, or life stages often require distinct approaches.
Use it to challenge decisions: Before launching something, ask: does this align with what our members feel, need, and fear?
Visualise with context: Pair empathy maps with member journeys, engagement data, or role frameworks for deeper insight.
Final thoughts
Empathy mapping is more than a design tool—it’s a signal of how seriously you take your members. It helps transform your community from a space that serves content into a space that serves people—on emotional, practical, and aspirational levels.
By visualising what members experience—what excites them, what holds them back, what keeps them coming back—you begin to build not just for them, but with them in mind.
FAQs: Empathy mapping
How is empathy mapping different from user personas?
Empathy mapping focuses on real-time emotional and behavioural insights, while user personas are broader profiles that summarise demographic traits, goals, and behaviours. Personas help define who the member is, whereas empathy maps uncover how they feel and what drives their actions in a given context. The two are complementary but serve different purposes.
Can empathy mapping be used for online communities specifically?
Yes. In fact, empathy mapping is particularly useful for online communities, where you often lack face-to-face feedback. It helps community managers and designers:
Understand what motivates digital participation
Surface hidden emotional barriers like fear of judgement or overwhelm
Tailor content, tone, and experience to better fit real member needs
It bridges the gap between data and emotion in digital engagement.
What tools are best for creating empathy maps?
Empathy maps can be created using:
Digital whiteboards (e.g. Miro, MURAL, FigJam)
Shared docs or slides (e.g. Google Docs, Notion)
Printed templates for in-person workshops
What matters most is collaborative access and clarity. Keep it visual, editable, and linked to real feedback or research.
How often should empathy maps be updated?
Empathy maps should be reviewed:
After major community changes (e.g. new platform, onboarding process, audience segment)
Following surveys, interviews, or usability research
Quarterly or bi-annually as part of strategy review
Member needs evolve, and maps should reflect those shifts to stay useful and relevant.
Can empathy mapping help improve member engagement?
Absolutely. Empathy mapping identifies emotional motivators, blockers, and misunderstandings that affect engagement. It helps you design community experiences that resonate with how members actually think and feel—leading to stronger connection, clearer messaging, and more meaningful participation.
