Blog Post 1 - Empathy Map

Anne is the housemother for my sorority. She is a kind woman who looks out for the girls in her care far beyond her responsibilities of managing the daily affairs of the sorority house. She is dependable, level headed, and a skilled conflict manager.

Family matters a great deal to Anne. She is divorced, with three children, and recently became a grandmother. While she does not see them often, she spends her summers travelling to visit them. Her day-to-day routine tends to be very task oriented. There are almost always things that need fixing, events that need to be set up for, and meals to be planned. Weekdays tend to be very busy, though weekends are more leisurely. Even when busy, she makes time to get to know the girls in the sorority during lunches and dinners. Her worries revolve around the wellbeing of her family and accomplishing all of the necessary tasks in a timely manner.

Anne aspires to make a difference to the people around her. She cares about social issues, but has a limited amount of time and money to devote to them. Anne spends a large portion of her time at the sorority house. She lives there, and can usually be found in the dining room, the kitchen, or in her room near the entrance of the house. Her doors stay open so that people know she is available. The house is clean and contemporary, with high ceilings and tasteful decorations. Mirrors and photographs adorn the pale yellow walls, while vases with flowers rest on various surfaces. Because she lives in the house, she is constantly around other people; sorority girls, other students, alumni, the house staff, and the myriad of blue-collar professionals that frequent the building to make repairs and service calls.

She is exposed to many marketing offers throughout the day. Companies leave flyers and send mailings for various services and products. Some are aimed at Anne in her capacity as a house manager, such as offers for bulk food products or Internet service, while others are aimed at Anne personally, through e-mail, traditional mail, or tailored ads on her iPad. Additionally, many companies and organizations come to the house during Monday chapter meetings to promote and recruit.

Many of her friends in Austin are other housemothers. They meet occasionally for lunch or other outings, and use each other as a support system within the Greek life that they are entrenched in. Weekends are when she spends the most time with friends outside of the Greek system. Anne has many friendships that she has built over the years, but many of them live in other cities, so they mostly keep in touch online and over the phone.

Anne is well dressed and stays up to date with current fashion trends. She comes across as sociable and outgoing. Her pleasant demeanor also conveys trustworthiness, which is good, because she undoubtedly knows many secrets from her years in the house and the many parties she interacts with. She comes across as highly competent, smart, and not someone to be taken advantage of. She treats others with respect, unless give her a reason not to.

Her friends tell her that she works very hard, and to be careful to manage her work/life balance. She tells them that this is difficult, considering that she lives where she works. Her employers, the House Corporation Board, tell her that she does a great job, and that they are very happy with the work she does. Her primary influencers – her children – ask when they get to see her next, and how long she plans to live and work as a housemother. The sorority girls tell her about their lives, and she provides council in return.

Anne’s point of pain revolves around her never-ending to-do list and the passage of time. She is frustrated by inefficiency, and wishes to accomplish her tasks more simply. She fears losing her abilities with age, but aging itself is not as scary. Her obstacles include the bureaucracy within the House Corporation Board, a lack of personal time, and spotty internet service.

At this point in her life, Anne has reached the self-esteem stage of Maslow’s Hierarchy. She has reached a high level of success in her life as a house manager, at the sorority as well as at previous estates. She has received recognition and appreciation for her impact, has a meaningful support system, is content in her marital status, and lives comfortably and securely. She desires to deepen the relationships in her life, and will measure the success of this goal with a sense of emotional fulfillment. She hopes to retire in the next five to ten years. However, she is constrained by limited resources, and a sense of guilt at the thought of leaving the sorority members behind. Additionally, she is seeking a hobby to keep herself active once she retires.