Building on from my previous post on empathy maps it seems apt to share a real world example of how a non-technical team utilises empathy maps. To build deep understanding of the target audience's issues and to address their pains.

For those not familiar with Peace Through Prosperity, the organisation works with people engaged in micro-enterprises; such as street-cart or pavement based green grocers, barbers, cobblers and food vendors. Peace Through Prosperity enables them to build a better future for themselves, their family and community through vocational education and coaching.

Hard working entrepreneurs who lack the knowledge, skills and behaviour needed to grow their enterprises and build a better future for themselves, their family and community.

Peace Through Prosperity chose Ibrahim Hyderi as a control experiment with the aim of capturing sentiments from a community the team is not engaged to conduct a comparative study.

Purpose is to measure behavioral change if any. So that we can assess if Peace Through Prosperity programs lead to an improvement in the community's emotional intelligence.

A little about Ibrahim Hyderi first!

It's a neighborhood of Bin Qasim Town in Karachi, Pakistan.

Ibrahim Hyderi has a population of 150,000 across multiple ethnicities, the communities are stooped in poverty. The neighborhood lacks appropriate educational, health and a multitude of civic amenities and there is little hope of their situation changing from the outside in.

In this neighborhood Peace Through Prosperity's team conducted an empathy mapping exercise. Involving 15 customers (members of the public) and 7 micro-entrepreneurs with whom customers engage with on an almost daily basis to purchase their groceries.

Street hawker perspective

Empathy map - Entrepreneurr’s/street hawker’s perspective for customers ibrahim hyderi

Never before have empathy maps been used in this neighborhood to get conversations going between various sub-groups in this community. Purpose was to gain and share insight into customer sentiments towards micro-entrepreneurs in Ibrahim Hyderi.

With this insight the people of that community could, should they choose to, correct their behaviour and approach towards each other and course correct community relations.

Customer perspective

Empathy map - Customer perspective for street hawkers ibrahim hyderi

I will share the comparative analysis in a followup post. In the meantime I hope this post provides encouragement to experiment with empathy maps in and out of your day job. You can download templates and view more examples of empathy maps from my previous post here. #GiveBack

Lastly, If you got value from what I have shared please consider giving back by contributing towards Peace Through Prosperity, you can follow, broadcast or donate.

Peace Through Prosperity improves the local/domestic environment for peace by nurturing prosperity in conflict affected communities. We work to alleviate poverty, prevent radicalisation by empowering micro-entrepreneurs from marginalised communities. #Giveback