Activity Prep #2 – Who Will You Help?

Customer Persona & Empathy Map

This activity combines two very popular started methodologies – customer personas and empathy maps – to help you
demonstrate your understanding of the problem and people motivating your entrepreneurial efforts. This understanding
is the foundation of everything that follows with respect to designing and delivering novel and valuable innovations.

Rather than have you squeeze your responses on the updated Empathy Map Canvas below, we’ve provided you with an
outline on page 2 that you can fill in to address each of the questions posed by the canvas. Questions 1 & 2 describe
elements of a customer persona (there are more comprehensive versions of this available, but this version will suit our
needs). Questions 3 to 7 address your understanding of how your customer persona experiences the problem you are
trying to address. The canvas offers suggestive questions, but you don’t need to address all of these (we’ve offered
some parenthetic guidance). Typically, you will have significant gaps in your understanding – that’s OK. Understanding
what you DON’T know as important (arguably more important!) than what you DO know.

Regardless of your current level of understanding and empathy, you are required to offer 2-3 sentence responses
reflecting your best guess regarding each of the questions posed below. You may want to note areas where you are
especially uncertain to see if others can help you during our class activity. Please bring this completed assignment with
you to our class activity and be prepared to describe your problem and current beliefs about your potential customer.

https://gamestorming.com/empathy-mapping/
Customer Persona
1. Who are we empathizing with? (e.g., age, gender, education, income, job, other roles, etc.)

We are empathizing with tattoo artists and potential clients. Their age range is from 18 to 60 years old including
all genders. They are usually median income and can hold a variety of jobs.

2. What do they need to do? (e.g., current situation, responsibilities, jobs, success measures)
The tattoo artists need to find clients and vice versa. They are both trying to find local people in their area trying
to obtain new tattoos.

Empathy for Your Persona’s Perspective (Relative to the problem you are addressing)
3. What do they SEE? (e.g., alternatives, peers, media)

They have peers that have similar customer personas to them. They see social media including Twitter,
Facebook, and Instagram.

4. What do they SAY? (e.g., what do they actually say, what might they want to say)

They may say that they like a tattoo artist in a different city or out of their price range.

5. What do they DO? (e.g., what do they do now, what are their habits, what do they wish they could do)

They talk to other people with tattoos and get feedback and opinions on where to go.

6. What do they HEAR? (e.g., what do their friends/colleagues say, what influences do they listen to)

They are influenced by social media and what their peers opinions are. Their friends will most likely tell them to
use the same artists as they have used before.

7. What do they THINK and FEEL? (e.g., pains, hassles, fears, frustrations & desires, hopes, dreams)
They may be frustrated if they don’t receive the same services and work they expected. They hope to get
exactly what tattoo they envisioned.