Customer Empathy

At Level 1, customer empathy begins with awareness. You’re learning who the customers are, what they’re trying to do, and why it matters. You begin to connect your engineering work to their goals—recognizing that even small technical choices can shape their experience. You start by listening—to customer stories, support pain points, and what the data shows about user behavior. You may not interact directly with customers yet, but you’re beginning to care about how your code, instrumentation, and reliability affect them.

At Level 2, customer empathy deepens as you start to anticipate needs and advocate for users. You’re learning to balance technical priorities with customer impact—making trade-offs that align with their goals. You actively seek out feedback, refine your understanding, and begin to influence decisions with the customer in mind. You may collaborate with cross-functional teams to address pain points, improve experiences, and deliver value.

At Level 3, customer empathy becomes a core part of your approach. You’re skilled at identifying opportunities to improve user experiences and delivering solutions that align with their goals. You lead by example—demonstrating how to prioritize customer impact in technical decisions and inspiring others to do the same. You may take ownership of complex projects that require deep customer understanding and cross-functional collaboration.

At Level 4, customer empathy is integral to your leadership. You’re shaping strategies and guiding teams to deliver exceptional user experiences. You influence organizational priorities with a deep understanding of customer needs—ensuring that decisions align with their goals. You may lead initiatives that require broad collaboration and a long-term vision for customer impact.

At Level 5, customer empathy defines your vision and influence. You’re driving organizational change to prioritize user needs—ensuring that customer impact is at the heart of every decision. You inspire others to deepen their empathy and deliver meaningful experiences at scale. You may lead transformative initiatives that redefine how teams and organizations approach customer impact.