A customer journey map visualizes a person’s process to accomplish a goal tied to a specific business or product. It’s used to understand and address customer needs and Pain Points.
In its most basic form, journey mapping starts by compiling a series of User Needs and actions into a timeline skeleton. Next, the skeleton is fleshed out with user thoughts and emotions to create a narrative. Finally, that narrative is condensed into a visualization to communicate insights that will inform design processes.
Characteristics
- The map is tied to a specific product or service.
- It is split into 4 swim lanes: phases, actions, thoughts, mindsets/emotions.
- It reflects the user’s perspective:
- Including her mindset, thoughts, and emotions
- Leaving out most process details
- It is chronological.
- There is one map per persona/user type (1:1 mapping).
Resources
- UX Mapping Methods Compared: A Cheat Sheet
- 7 Ways to Analyze a Customer-Journey Map
- The 5 Steps of Successful Customer Journey Mapping
- When and How to Create Customer Journey Maps
- How Much Time Does It Take to Create a Journey Map?
- Blank Journey Map (PDF)
- Sample Journey Map (PDF)
- Journey Map Diagram (PDF)