User Empathy Map
User Empathy Mapping is a great way to visualize what your users' need to help ground your team.
Cultivating empathy, and putting ourselves in the shoes of our users is the best first step to impactful product design.
This exercise could also be flipped to instead better understand the needs of a team, or key stakeholder on a project that needs some TLC, etc.
People: 2 - 10+
Length: 20 - 30 minutes
Steps:
Ahead of your workshop, define what user group you will focus on
Select a visual that portrays them
1.1 Add details of what you know up-front so your team has the same mental model of who you're defining
2. Gather together cross-functional key people who have insight into this user group and work together across each quadrant to answer what they're saying, thinking, feeling, and doing.
3. Take a step back and analyze / synthesize what you see - are there gaps, patterns, trouble spots to address?
Tips:
Front-loading an empathy mapping session with known research can help bolster your workshop exercise. This also helps to ensure your user isn't defined with just adhoc knowledge.
This can be a great jump-start to defining your users, but don't stop with this exercise - seek to validate / invalidate what you've identified, and as you refine your understanding consider creating a user persona as a next step to really rally your teams around
This template was created by H&R Block.
Get started with this template right now.
Creative Brief Template
Works best for:
Design, Marketing, Desk Research
Even creative thinkers (or maybe especially creative thinkers) need clear guidelines to push their ideas in productive, usable directions. And a good creative lays down those guidelines, with information that includes target audience, goals, timeline, and budget, as well as the scope and specifications of the project itself. The foundation of any marketing or advertising campaign, a creative brief is the first step in building websites, videos, ads, banners, and much more. The brief is generally prepared before kicking off a project, and this template will make it easy.
UX Research Plan Template
Works best for:
Market Research, Desk Research, User Experience
A research plan communicates the fundamental information that stakeholders need to understand about a user experience research project: who, what, why, and when. The plan ensures everyone is aligned and knows what they must do to make the UX research project a success. Use the research plan to communicate background information about your project; objectives; research methods; the scope of the project, and profiles of the participants. By using a UX research plan, you can achieve stakeholder buy-in, stay on track, and set yourself up for success.
Buy a Feature Template
Works best for:
UX, Design, Product
The Buy a Feature Template reveals the actual significance people attach to certain aspects, creating tension by presenting options that exceed available resources. The resulting decisions provide valuable insights into which features, concepts or initiatives should be prioritized in the future.
Service Blueprint by Apto Digital Innovation
Works best for:
Research & Design
The Service Blueprint template helps visualize every aspect of your service, from customer interactions to behind-the-scenes processes. Use it to align teams, improve service delivery, and ensure a seamless customer experience. This template aids in identifying pain points and opportunities for enhancement, making it an essential tool for service design and optimization. It's ideal for fostering collaboration and strategic planning.
Empathy Map Canvas by Sampriti Jain
Works best for:
Market Research, Strategy & Planning
The Empathy Map Canvas template allows you to explore user behaviors and emotions comprehensively. It’s designed to help you visualize user experiences and create solutions that truly meet their needs. Perfect for UX teams and product developers.
Official 5-Day Design Sprint
Works best for:
Design, Desk Research, Sprint Planning
The goal of a Design Sprint is to build and test a prototype in just five days. You'll take a small team, clear the schedule for a week, and rapidly progress from problem to tested solution using a proven step-by-step checklist. Steph Cruchon of Design Sprint created this template for Miro in collaboration with design sprint gurus at Google. This Design Sprint template is designed specifically for remote sprints so you can run productive and efficient sprints with colleagues around the world.