“Empathy is a special way of coming to know another and yourself.”

Carl R. Rogers

Growing up I used journaling to reflect, make sense of and create a ‘space’ where I felt safe. I loved how I could use my journal as a ‘space’ that was mine, even when the world felt hectic. I didn’t realize it at the time but the more we learn about empathy development with our customers, I know understand that journaling has always been an empathy interview with myself. Sure there were times when I would write with anger and be so immersed in the self criticism I would forget about showing empathy towards my worries but mostly empathy was something I really relied on and practiced.

As I got into my teens, I would feel so emotional and overwhelmed that journaling became too difficult, too tiring. But without my writing practice I felt lost. I can’t remember the exact moment I started journaling through ‘mind maps’ but eventually my journals were filled with ‘mind maps’. I would start with a topic in the middle and just build off all the branches. This was something I could handle and I loved being able to be free to brainstorm different thoughts, different emotions and see how I could build a piece of self-reflection. A journey of what was happening in my little world.

Implementing the information our team learns about our customer into a customer journey map just makes so much sense to me and how it’s can result in a very successful blueprint. A blueprint of a customers journey with possible pains, solutions, current methods/routines, etc… Plus they are so fun to draw out. I love it.

So far in the quarter my VP1 team and I used a empathy map to brainstorm what type of costume we could build based of the interviews we conducted using empathy devolvement. In this particular empathy map we even included inspirational photos corresponding with the branches of the map. They have some really awesome mapping apps out there. Have you ever tried Miro, that APP is amazing if you want to create a more digitalized map format.

Applying this past week’s learnings on interviews and how they impact just about every business canvas is HUGE. I would even say that interviews are at every base of any venture journey. I also believe that interviewing is a practice. The more you conduct interviews and re-evaluate each question set, the better the understanding of the customer’s journey. Learning your customer is a practice. That’s why I love this program. It’s conducted in real time and the benefits outside of class will propel you foward along your own unique venture.