Reference no: EM134035409 , Length: Word Count:1000
Entrepreneurship and Business Venturing, Assessment - Empathy Map Poster
Assignment
In this assessment, students are required to develop an Empathy Map as part of the design thinking process. The purpose of this task is to initiate a deep understanding of users, which will later inform the development of a business plan proposal to be completed at the end of the semester.
Students must create a visual poster of an empathy map that clearly represents the target user. The empathy map should include all key components as taught in the classroom (such as what the user says, thinks, does, and feels, as well as pains and gains, where applicable). The poster must demonstrate thoughtful analysis rather than simple descriptions, showing clear insights into user needs, motivations, and challenges.
In addition to the poster, students are required to submit a 1,000-word (-/+ 10%) written description.
Purpose of this Assignment
The purpose of this assessment is to develop students' ability to apply design thinking tools, specifically the Empathy Map, in the context of entrepreneurship. Students will demonstrate their understanding of customer-centred thinking by identifying a clearly defined target segment, analysing customer insights, and aligning business offerings with customer jobs, pains, and gains. This task encourages critical thinking, market awareness, and the development of viable value propositions for hospitality ventures.
Demonstrate Achievement of these Learning Outcomes
ULO1. Explain opportunity recognition, development, and evaluation of hospitality business ventures in a variety of contexts;
ULO2. Develop a business innovation that is necessary for appropriate professional practice and ethical conduct and their implementation;
Task Description:
Example of Empathy Map + Value Proposition Map
Students are required to create one-page of poster and a document.
Empathy Map Poster
Students are required to create an empathy map in an A4 poster that visually presents: Empathy Map with Value Proposition Canvas.
Students must use the template or example provided in class. The layout must be clear, structured, and visually professional. The added information must be based on the existing condition of target customers.
Please follow the recommended steps.
Determine the business area (e.g., hotel, café, event venue, food truck, travel agent, wellness retreat, etc.) and then identify your potential market segment. You will use this for your empathy.
Complete four quadrants in the first figure, which include:
Think & Feel: answer what matters most to your customer? What are their concerns, aspirations, motivations, and emotional drivers?
See: answer what do they see in their environment (market trends, competitors, social media influences, lifestyle exposure)?
Say & Do: answer what do they say publicly? How do they behave? What actions do they take?
Hear: answer what do they hear from friends, family, influencers, colleagues, or media?
Pain: define customer risks, frustrations, obstacles, and negative experiences.
Gain: define customer's desired outcomes, benefits, aspirations, expectations. Ensure insights are specific to your selected segment and supported by research.
Complete the quadrants of value map. Repeat the pain and gain boxes.
Customer jobs: define customer's functional, social, and emotional jobs.
Products and Services: what are you offering?
Pain Relievers: how does your offering reduce or eliminate customer pains?
Gain Creators: how does your offering create additional value or exceed expectations?
Be sure it fits in one A4 page with clear captions and structure. The boxes and contents must be visually organised.
Written Description Document (1000 words -/+ 10%)
After the empathy map poster, students must continue with a separate written document explaining and justifying your poster. The total word count is 1000 words (-/+ 10%). Please follow the recommended structure.
Cover Page (Not included in word count)
Assessment title, Course name, Student name, Student ID, Lecturer's name, Word count.
Business Area: (100 words)
Please describe the selected hospitality business area and the target customer segment.
Customer Think & Feel, See, Say & Do, and Hear (300 words)
Explain each quadrant of the empathy map.
Provide detailed justification of customer insights.
Support arguments using academic journals, industry reports, or credible market data.
References are required in this section.
Customer Jobs, Pains, and Gains (300 words)
Clear classification of functional, social, and emotional jobs.
Explanation of key pain points.
Identification of desired gains.
References are required in this section.
Pain Relievers, Gain Creators, and Products & Services (300 words)
How your proposed business offering addresses customer jobs.
How it reduces or eliminates key pains.
How it enhances or creates gains.
References are required in this section.
References (Not included in word count)
References are mainly important when proposing strategies in Section 3, 4, and 5.
Word Count
Length: 1000 words (excluding the reference list) (± 10%).
A 10% penalty will be applied for assignments exceeding or falling below the recommended word limit.
Other requirements
You can upload a MS Word or PDF file.
Font size: 12-point Arial or Times New Roman, 1.5 line spacing, with page numbers inserted bottom right; includes headings/sub-headings.
Citation and Referencing (APA 7)
The assignment should show evidence of research, with references from relevant academic journals. You should have at least FOUR different academic articles and use them as the foundation for each part of your report. Do not use Wikipedia as a reference source. Unless it is a generic theory/model, cited publications must be within the past 15 years.
All citations and references must adhere to APA 7 referencing style.
Assignment Submission, Return of Marked Assessment & Release of Marks
The submission link allows for (3) three attempts, providing you with the opportunity to check text matching for unintended plagiarism. Based on the text-match report, revise your work as needed. Submit your revised work for course grading.
This is a secure assessment, and the use of AI is not permitted. Assignments with a similarity index or AI detection score of 25% or above may indicate potential academic misconduct and must be revised before submission.