As user researchers, we shouldn’t assume anything. But sometimes it helps to theorise about people’s behaviours in the very early stages of a project - specifically, during the planning phase of participant recruitment. By anticipating people’s behaviours and context, we can design a recruitment strategy that is more relevant and engaging to the people we want to include in our research. We can also ensure our recruitment adverts and messages are posted where users are more likely to see them.

On a recent project we did for Diabetes UK, we wanted to understand more about our audience before launching the recruitment campaign. We didn't know what people who had been newly diagnosed with diabetes might be thinking, how they would describe their experiences, and where they were going to find information and support. To help explore this we decided to use an empathy map.

To complete the first section (SAYS) we started off by finding direct quotes on an online diabetes forum. In particular, we read through the posts by people who said they were newly diagnosed to see what questions they were commonly asking, and what actions they said they were taking.

The SAYS section was used as a prompt to think about the other parts of the empathy map: THINKS, DOES, FEELS.

How we used this information to improve our recruitment campaign

SAYS & THINKS: From the posts we read, it was clear that people were articulating and posting what they were thinking about in their own words. We mirrored the vocabulary they used in the content for our recruitment posts and landing pages. The aim was to make our content more eye-catching for the target audience. 

DOES: This helped us to think about which type of users we wanted to follow up with, and which to screen out. It gave us ideas for building an audience via sponsored Facebook posts, as we could target people with ‘diabetes type 2 awareness’, ‘diabetic diet’ or ‘Weight Watchers’ listed as an interest. 

FEELS: We learnt about what pain points to mention that might grab a user’s attention at the recruitment stage, such as the need to learn more and to hear from others who have been through the same experience. It also prompted us to approach local support groups who then put their members in touch with us for face-to-face research.

By following the whole SAYS/DOES/THINKS/FEELS cycle, we ended up with a fuller, shared understanding of user behaviours and needs. It challenged our assumptions and preconceived ideas about people’s reactions to being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and what services they might need.

The benefits of using online forums in your research 

• They’re neutral places where people aren’t afraid to ask questions. 

• It’s an easy way of learning the user’s vocabulary in contextual settings

• You can gain insight into the feelings of users, not just their behaviours.

How do you use empathy mapping?

Have you used this technique? Did it help to understand your users and how? Share your experiences below.

Further reading
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/empathy-mapping/

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/empathy-map-why-and-how-to-use-it