EIBS7300 Assessment 1 Building Empathy Through User Journey Mapping

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[EIBS7300] Assessment 1 Building Empathy Through User Journey Mapping


Assessment Type：Individual Assignment—Report

Length：2500 words (± 10%), excluding reference list and appendices

Weighting：40% of final course mark

Submission：Via Turnitin under Blackboard folder


1. Aim

This assignment aims to develop your ability to build deep, evidence-based empathy with end-users and to translate qualitative user research into structured insights using design thinking tools.

Following a human-centred design approach, you are required to put yourself in the shoes of a clearly defined category of end-users, collect rich qualitative data, and critically interpret their lived experience within a given industry scenario (attached below).

2. Assessment Overview
This assessment consists of two interconnected parts:
• Part A: Scenario analysis
• Part B: Empathy building & Journey map (various tools and conducting interviews)

You must present your work in the form of a professional report.

Important note:
Assessment 1 does NOT require you to ideate products/services. You will do that in Assessment 2.
In Assessment 1, you will stop at the ‘data gathering about users’ needs’ stage and reflect on your findings to reveal relevant insights.
3. Core Elements
3.1. Part A: Scenario analysis

In Part A, you are required to provide a critical and synthetic overview of your assigned scenario and its associated industry(ies). Your analysis should demonstrate depth, selectivity, and relevance by:

1) describing the scenario in a specific context (e.g., “in Australian regional areas”)
2) focusing on key trends or changes over the last five years, such as recent and current business, economic, and social trends
3) identifying and characterizing the main stakeholders involved
4) distinguishing different types of users, with an emphasis on those who directly experience the scenario
5) highlighting other relevant aspects such as key challenges, tensions, or emerging challenges relevant to users and the industry

Part A should clearly establish why the scenario matters, who is affected, and what is at stake, thereby providing a strong analytical foundation for Part B.

3.2. Part B: Empathy building & Journey map

In Part B, you will zoom in on one category of end-users and one specific experience within the scenario that presents meaningful/significant challenges or opportunities for improvement for those end-users.

3.2.1. Step 1: Selecting users and experience
You must:
• Identify one clearly defined category of end-users
• Select one experience within the scenario that is particularly significant, problematic, or consequential for them

3.2.2. Step 2: Empathy building through qualitative research

You are required to build empathy by conducting a minimum of five (5) in-depth interviews with users from your selected category.

Using appropriate design thinking tools, you must unpack the experience from the end users’ perspective by addressing questions such as:
• Who are these end-users?
• On what basis can they be defined as a category?
• What characteristics, motivations, constraints, or behaviours do they share?
• Approximately how large is this category?
• What stages does the selected experience consist of?
• When does the experience begin and end?
• Where do users encounter pain points, frustrations, or breakdowns?
• What challenges and latent opportunities for improvement emerge from their experience?
3.2.3. Step 3: Analysis and representation
Part B requires you to conduct a deep qualitative analysis of your interview data and
represent your findings using:
• A user journey map (mandatory)
• Other relevant design thinking tools

The goal is not to list tools, but to demonstrate that you understand how and why they are used to build empathy.

3.3. Data collection: What data should you use?
You must draw on both secondary and primary data sources across Parts A and B (e.g., to analyse the given scenario and to build an understanding of, and ultimately empathy with, your identified end-users).

Keep in mind that a good designer always interacts directly with their end-users; purely relying on secondary information sources can jeopardise a designer’s ability to build empathy.

3.3.1. Secondary sources:
• Academic (e.g., research papers on the industry/scenario and/or the end-users)
• Industry and consulting reports
• Government and statistic websites
• Grey literature
• Online forums or publicly available social media
• Primary qualitative information sources:
3.3.2. Primary qualitative data
You must conduct at least 5 interviews, each lasting 45-60 minutes, with users from your selected category.

Important

Significant class time will be devoted to teaching ethical qualitative research practices and interview techniques. You are expected to familiarise yourself with this material before conducting interviews.
3.4. Design thinking Tools
• Part A: You may use any analytical tools or techniques you consider appropriate.
• Part B: You must select and apply DT tools appropriately and competently. A user journey map is compulsory. It means that you need to make sure you select the appropriate DT tools and techniques and demonstrate you can use them effectively.

The overall goal is to demonstrate you have built empathy with your end-users.

Indicatively, any tools covered between Week 1 and Week 5 may be used, provided they are:
• Relevant
• Correctly applied
• Supported by evidence from your data
4. Report Requirements
4.1. Report Structure
Title page (excluded from word count):
• Course title
• Assessment title
• Date
• Student name
• Student number
• Assigned scenario
Part A: Scenario and industry analysis
Part B: Empathy Building and qualitative analysis:
• One category of end-users
• One experience
• Key insights from the interviews
• A user journey map
• Persona(s) associated with the journey map
Reference list (excluded from word count):
• APA 7th edition
• Remember to always use a reference when you may have drawn on certain information sources to justify your statements, arguments, findings, or when you draw graphics (e.g., figures, illustrations, tables, diagrams, etc.) from other sources (i.e., you haven’t created them yourself). References can include journal articles, online reviews, industry reports, statistics, websites, etc. Every reference needs to include in-text citations
Appendices (excluded from word count)
• Interview details (participants, duration, interview guide, key quotes)
• Here you can add additional material, information, data, etc. that you could not fit in the main body; as a rule of thumb, the Appendices should only contain supplementary information, and not essential components of your report
4.2. Format
• File type: .docx or .pdf
• Page numbers required
• Font: Arial, size 11
• Single line spacing
5. Marking Criteria
EIBS7300 Assessment 1: Building Empathy through Interviews and Journey Mapping


High Distinction (7)

(85%-100%)

Distinction (6)
(75-84%)

Credit (5)
(65-74%)

Pass (4)
(50-64%)

Fail (3)
(47-49%)

Fail (2)
(30-46%)

Serious
Fail (1)
(0-29%)

Understanding of Industry /

Scenario Context 20%

Demonstrates exceptional understanding of the industry/scenario through the use of robust, high-quality evidence and in-depth analysis. The report provides sufficient clarity and context for a reader with no prior familiarity to fully understand the industry/scenario and its key challenges.
Demonstrates advanced understanding of the industry/scenario, supported by good-quality evidence and thoughtful analysis. The report enables a reader with no prior familiarity to understand the main features and challenges of the industry/scenario.
Demonstrates competent understanding of the industry/scenario. Evidence anddepth of analysis are generally appropriate, though some areas require further development or clarification. A reader with no prior familiarity may require limited additional information to fully understand the industry/scenario.
Demonstrates basic understanding of the industry/scenario, with notable limitations in the quality of evidence and depth of analysis. Important aspects of the industry/scenario are insufficiently explained, requiring additional clarification for an unfamiliar reader
Fails to demonstrate an adequate understanding of the industry/scenario. Evidence is absent, irrelevant, or misapplied, and analysis is insufficient to support comprehension by an unfamiliar reader.
Empathy Building and Insight Generation through Interviews 30%
Demonstrates deep empathy grounded in rich interview evidence. Reveals non obvious, meaningful insights into users’ experiences, needs, tensions, and underlying motivations. Insights go beyond surface observations and are clearly grounded in users’ voices and lived experiences.
Demonstrates strong empathy supported by interview evidence. Generates clear and relevant insights into users’ experiences, though some insights may remain closer to observable needs rather than deeper underlying drivers.
Demonstrates basic empathy informed by interview data. Insights are present but tend to be descriptive or confirmatory with limited depth or absraction.
Limited demonstration of empathy. Interview evidence is used superficially, and insights remain obvious, general, or weakly  upported.
Minimal or unclear use of interview evidence. Empathy is poorly demonstrated and insights are largely absent or unjustified.

Application of Design Thinking Tools and Journey Mapping 30%
Demonstrates skillful application of DT tools and techniques, understanding of their purpose, usage, and function. Journey mapping is used analytically, clearly translating interview insights into a coherent representation of the user experience. 
Demonstrates skillful application of some DT tools and techniques, presenting a good level of understanding of their purpose, usage, and function. Journey mapping is well executed an  meaningfully linked to interview findings.

Demonstrates competent
application of some DT tools and
techniques, understanding of
their purpose, usage and function
or parts of them.
Journey mapping is present and generally coherent, though links to interview insights may be partial or uneven.

Application of some DT tools
and techniques that is not
always appropriate.
Journey mapping is included
but largely descriptive or
formulaic, with weak
connection to interview
evidence.

Fails to demonstrate
understanding of the purpose
and/or elements of the
employed DT tools and
techniques and application is
incorrect. Journey map is
missing, incorrect, or poorly
constructed.

Communication –Clarity 7.5% AoL Measure*





Clearly and accurately
presents ideas with a coherent
structure, effective transitions,
and appropriate
contextualisation, using precise
and professional language
suited to the audience,
purpose, and medium.


Presents ideas clearly and
accurately with a generally
coherent structure and appropriate
contextualisation. Transitions are
mostly effective, and language is
largely professional and suited to
the audience, purpose, and
medium.

Presents ideas with reasonable
clarity, though structure,
transitions, or contextualisation
may be uneven or occasionally
unclear. Language is generally
appropriate but sometimes
imprecise or informal.

Conveys ideas at a basic level,
but structure, transitions, and
contextualisation are weak,
inconsistent, or unclear.
Language may be vague,
repetitive, or poorly suited to
the audience or purpose.

Fails to present ideas clearly or
accurately; structure and
language significantly hinder
comprehension.

Communication –Persuasion 7.5% AoL Measure*
Constructs a logically coherent and credible argument for a clearly articulated interpretation of the user experience, using evidence selectively and ethically to guide the reader’s understanding.
Constructs a generally coherent and credible argument for the user experience, using relevant evidence appropriately, though the logical flow or rhetorical precision may occasionally weaken.
Communicates an argument for the user experience, supported by some relevant evidence, though justification may be partial, loosely structured, or inconsistently developed.
Attempts to construct an
argument, but logical coherence is weak and use of evidence is minimal, poorly integrated, or inconsistently applied.
Does not construct a coherent or credible argument; evidence is absent, misused, or ethically problematic.
Communication –Engagement 5% AoL Measure*
Employs appropriate narrative
and rhetorical techniques to
maintain reader engagement
and enhance comprehension,
without relying on unsupported
claims.
Uses suitable narrative and
rhetorical techniques to sustain
reader engagement and support
comprehension, with minor
inconsistencies or lapses in
effectiveness.

Employs basic narrative or
rhetorical techniques to support
reader comprehension, though
engagement may be limited or
rely on descriptive rather than
strategic communication.

Uses limited or ineffective narrative or rhetorical techniques; writing may be difficult to follow and does little to actively support reader engagement or understanding.

Lacks effective narrative or rhetorical techniques; writing disengages the reader and obstructs understanding.


*Assurance of Learning measures of Graduate Attribute 5 for AACSB accreditation.8
6. Assurance of Learning
This assessment will evaluate students’ Courageous Thinkers skills for UQ Business School Assurance of Learning (AoL) program, which maintains accreditation with AACSB and collects student grades in relevant criteria for quality measurement of student learning outcomes across the School. This program ensures that students attain the UQ Graduate
Attributes, through alignment with UQ Business School program learning outcomes, and the School continuously improves curriculum.
7. Additional information
• Assessment 1 provides the foundation for Assessment 2, where you will work in
groups to ideate solutions
• Your scenario and user category for Assessment 1 are not binding for Assessment 2.
• Be creative in how you visually present DT tools.
• Reference guide: https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing
• Guidance on Generative AI usage is available on Blackboard.8. FAQ
How do I scope the category of end-users and experience I select for my given scenario?
Carefully analyse the scenarios to identify possible categories of end-users. Be mindful of not being too broad or too narrow with your category of end-users. Example: In the case of the meal delivery industry, the options: ‘customers’, ‘deliverers’, and ‘restaurants’ could be too broad; also, the identification of ‘restaurants’ would make it problematic to demonstrate empathy-building and understanding of end-users pains and gains (e.g., are you referring
to restaurant owners? Or their customers?).
On the other hand, options such as ‘customers that purchase meals online on a daily basis’, ‘customers that purchase meals online once a week’, and ‘customers that purchase meals online once a week and love to go to the restaurant twice a week’ could be too narrow. In ‘scoping’ the category of end-users, try to be specific and focus on how they are a category of end-users based on the specificity of their pains and gains, etc.
How do I justify the category of end-users and experiences I have selected?
You could utilise several criteria to justify your choice. Generally speaking, no choice is wrong as long as you establish solid evidence to prove your selection. Putting yourself in ，the ‘shoes’ of an entrepreneur who would want to enter the market and offer solutions for the problems of the category of end-users could be a helpful exercise. Where would you start? Which category do you think could turn into the best market segment? Which one would it be ‘easy’ to start with?
Similarly, you could reflect on how ‘painful’ is the experience you selected to focus on and justify your choice by using solid evidence. How many people ‘feel the pain’ of that experience or some of its components? Is there significant room for improvement in that experience or just marginal? Are you focusing on an irrelevant experience? Etc.
Can a type of organisation be a category of end-users?
Design-led approaches to problem solving are best suited for problem spaces in which human end-users can be identified relatively easily. This way, designers can leverage the potential of empathy building and get to the ‘heart’ of users/customers, without the influence of mediating/moderating effects. Building empathy with and demonstrating a deep understanding of the pains and gains, jobs to be done, etc. of, for example, medium-sized transportation businesses operating in the FMCG industry in Australia can be extremely challenging. Who would you build empathy with? Who would be your information source? Whom would you interview? The CEO? The board? How would you be able to consider, and record, nuances in the viewpoints of your respondents with regards to what their most compelling pains and gains are? It would be different, however, if your category of end-users were operators or ‘sole traders’ operating in the same industry, or employees of a client organisation. See where the human element helps you with narrowing the scope of potential categories of end-users?
What if I REALLY dislike the scenario I was assigned with?
First, keep in mind that this assessment has been designed to simulate a “real-work” experience where we rarely have the opportunity to “choose” our clients or their industry backgrounds. Indeed, coming up with ideas on how to approach an industry that might be unfamiliar to us as designers, is also part of the challenge presented by this assessment.
Creativity will be key. Second, keep in mind that within your assigned industry, you will be able to select a user category and a corresponding experience. Use this opportunity to adjust the scenario to your own interests, skillsets, networks, knowledge or past experiences. Third, keep in mind that the allocated scenario will only apply to Assessment 1, as you will have some more freedom to choose a scenario for your group project in Assessment 2.11
9. Scenarios and Industries (6)
Presented by Liquid Interactive in Week 1. You will be assigned to one of the following scenarios for your Assessment 1.
1. Industry: Higher Education (HE)
Scenario: The growth of the HE industry in the last 20+ years has been exponential.

According to the World Bank, the number of students in HE institutions has increased from 89 million in 1998 to 265 million in 2025. 1 Demand for HE services is increasing worldwide and pressure on HE institutions is mounting. Such institutions have moved from being simple deliverers of education, to becoming providers of a broad set of services for their students: from accommodation to job placement; from food & beverage to entertainment; from sports to some financial services, etc. To keep up with our rapidly changing society, and adapt to global scale phenomena, universities and other tertiary institutions had to become more creative also in terms of the channels they utilise to deliver such services: online education, digital libraries, virtual job fairs, but also smart payment systems, customised enrolment options, ‘freemium’ subscription services, etc. are nowadays commonplace in HE institutions. At the same time, the word ‘students’ has come to encompass a much wider spread of individuals: age groups, employment status, country of provenance, professional and personal goals, etc. all contribute to creating a highly differentiated mix of users, with their specific features, needs, opportunities, pain points, personal attitudes, feelings, etc. Besides students, academics have a growing voice in ，what services universities should deliver and how: far from being considered simple ，‘executors’ of teaching programs, academics have seen their roles within universities ，diversify further, in an attempt to bring them ‘out of the Ivory Tower’ and enhance the ，impact of their work on societies. Orchestrating the work of academics to meet students’ and broader stakeholder groups’ requirements (e.g., local communities, government organisations, society in general), universities are facing important innovation challenges.

2. Industry: Healthcare
Scenario: In 2024, the global healthcare sector faces significant challenges affecting healthcare professionals, policymakers, and patients. Several countries worldwide are experiencing an aging population, resulting in higher demand for healthcare services particularly for chronic illnesses and age-related conditions. 2 On the positive side, technology is transforming healthcare. The integration of electronic health records, telemedicine, and artificial intelligence enhances efficiency but raises concerns about data ，security, patient privacy, and the digital divide. Ensuring equitable access to technological benefits remains an ongoing challenge, also from an ethical perspective. Overall International Society for Quality in Health Care, 28 3, 412-4.12，disparities persist in healthcare access, with marginalized communities facing obstacles in，obtaining basic healthcare due to financial barriers, geographical remoteness, or systemic ，inequalities. 3 Healthcare professionals are not exempted from facing significant ，challenges. Despite working in a profession in constant demand, doctors and nurses are ，often affected by burnout and stress, work long hours, which leads to high turnover ratios. 4 Finally, as environmental sustainability gains recognition as a critical factor in healthcare, ，the industry faces pressure to adopt sustainable practices. Balancing the need for quality ，care with environmental responsibility is an increasingly important goal for healthcare ，providers.
3. Industry: User privacy and cybersecurity

Scenario: According to IBM, the average total cost of a data breach has increased to 4.44 million USD in 2025, setting a record high. 5 In Australia alone, during the FY 2024/2025, ，the Australian Cyber Security Centre has received over 84,700 reports for cyber-crimes, ，albeit 3% decrease from the previous FY. 6 Towards the end of 2025, ，some of these attacks have involved well-known brands (e.g., Quantas, MediSecure). Ransomware ，attacks, cyber-breaches to critical infrastructures, and geopolitical dynamics (e.g., the conflict in Ukraine) have characterized the global cybersecurity scenario in 2025. 7 Several are the reasons behind successful cyber-attacks perpetrated on organisations as well as ，individuals: cybersecurity appears to be a complicated domain for non-experts; digital technologies have increased the number of digital touchpoints for end users; Covid-19 and ，the post-pandemic world have increased the number of online interactions and purchases ，of goods and services; and a general sense of ‘it won’t happen to me’ often making individuals feel over-confident towards their usage of digital technologies (e.g., sharing ，passwords, using insecure passwords, etc.).

4. Industry: Residential real estate market
Scenario: The global value of residential real estate has seen a growth of 8% in 2020, to some $258.5 trillion. Residential real estate is by far the world’s most significant store of wealth, more valuable than all global equities and securities combined, and nearly four times the value of the worldwide GDP. 8 In this scenario, the lion’s share is taken by China, ，which holds 30% of the global residential real estate market value. In the Asian country, the value of residential real estate grew by 13% in 2020, thanks to an increase in supply and in prices as well. The house pricing soared in 60 countries including, among others, Canada, Russia, Germany, the US, France, Brazil, China, and Australia. Factors such as generally low interest rates, ad hoc government policies, and greater flexibility on work from-home practices by employers have contributed to this phenomenon. 9 In some countries and large metropolitan cities in particular, the rush to buy a house has been described as a ‘feeding frenzy’ or ‘housing madness.’ 10 Yet, things have started to change in some countries. To respond to significantly high inflation, several central banks have increased interest rates on multiple occasions. The net result is an increase in monthly mortgage repayments and a decrease in buyers’ confidence. In Australia, for example, the
Reserve Bank has increased interest rates on several occasions in 2024 and 2025, to the current 3.8%. This has only initially slowed down the growth of house prices, which have grown by an average of 7.5% from January 2024 to January 2025. 11
5. Industry: Transport/Air passenger traffic
Scenario: After experiencing an unprecedented decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, global air passenger traffic has rebounded strongly. The number of passengers worldwide increased from 1.8 billion in 2020 to 9.8 billion in 2025. The advent of low-cost carriers, who made air travel an affordable option and started serving regional and less accessible airports; globalisation and socio-economic trends; and the affordances of digital technologies, which made booking air tickets an easy and convenient process are only a few examples of the factors that led to the increase in air traffic around the globe. Similar to what happened in other industries, the players in this market (e.g., airlines, airports and retailers) have started offering ancillary services on top of their core businesses, to satisfy a clientele that is more and more exigent, especially in a post-pandemic world. In this sense, despite quickly recovering their pre-pandemic revenue levels and achieving profitability, airlines achieved thinner profits for 2025, due to high fuel costs, widespread inflation, and ongoing service disruptions to the industry and its supply chain.

6. Industry: Sports and leisure: Time physical activity

After enjoying a steady surge in participation and revenue since the early 2000s, the global leisure sports industry faced an unprecedented downturn due to the impact of the pandemic. Now, the industry is promptly recovering, and its growth has been fueled by factors such as increased awareness of the importance of physical activity,  the rise of specialized sports facilities, and the integration of technology to enhance the sports experience. 12 In 2024, 84% of Australians aged +15 participated in a sport-related activity at least once a week. 13 The emergence of diverse options for leisure-time physical activity, innovative facilities, and digital platforms has attracted a growing and diverse customer base. Similar to other sectors, stakeholders in the leisure sports market, including sports facilities, equipment manufacturers, and retailers, adapted to the changing environment by diversifying their offerings. Beyond the core activities, ancillary services like specialized training programs, nutritional counselling, and digital subscriptions have gained prominence. The Australian sports industry is estimated to support 128,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs, around 1.5% of the FTE workforce in Australia. 14 At the same time, the industry is also facing several challenges: the explosion of electronic home entertainment makes people spend more time indoors with screens, which competes with traditional leisure activities. The resulting associated sedentary lifestyle contributes toconcerns for public health. In addition, the rising cost of living affects leisure sports facilities, with energy prices, in particular, impacting club finances, and making access to leisure activities less affordable for some. Some facility providers are responding by reducing sessions and increasing fees. 


2026-03-18