What Is Social Empathy Mapping?

Social Empathy Mapping is a visual tool that helps businesses understand their customers on a deeper, more human level. Originally created by Dave Gray, co-founder of the strategy consultancy XPlane, the empathy map captures what customers see, think and feel, hear, say and do, along with their pains and gains. By organizing customer insights into these six distinct quadrants, businesses can make better decisions about products, marketing, and brand strategy based on genuine understanding rather than assumptions.