Empathy is the first step in design thinking because it is a skill that allows us to understand someone’s else’s feelings or thoughts in a situation. Empathy is quite different from pity. Pity; you feel sorry for them, Empathy; you share their mental and emotional experiences. In UX, empathy enables us to understand not only our users' immediate frustrations, but also their hopes, fears, abilities, limitations, reasoning, and goals. Through empathy, we are able to put ourselves in other people's shoes and connect with how they might be feeling about their problem, circumstance, or situation. While empathizing, you’re able to really understand the user’s needs and how to design a solution that would be helpful to them. As a designer you should be able to relate to the problems faced by the user’s in order to be able to design the possible best solution, empathy gives you an idea of what that feels like. UX design is not about solving problems we assume user’s want solved but about solving problems users actually want solved. To empathize more with users you can make use of an empathy map. An empathy map is an easily understood chart that explains everything designers have learned about a user. An empathy map consists of four squares which shows what the user says, does, thinks, and feels. As a UX designer, empathizing with users enhances the products you create because you experience the product as your user does. The better you are at anticipating a users desires and needs, the more comfortable the user will feel with your design and the more likely they will be able to engage with your product long term. With a focus on empathy, you can design a product that offers users everything they need and more.