journey mapping

Journey mapping is a visualization technique that creates a visual representation of the process a person goes through to accomplish a goal. It captures the sequence of interactions, touchpoints, and experiences that occur between a user and a product, service, or organization over time.

Context and Usage

Journey mapping is primarily used in user experience design, service design, and customer experience management fields. UX researchers, product managers, designers, and marketing professionals employ journey maps to understand and document user interactions across multiple channels and touchpoints. Organizations use these maps to analyze complex customer processes that span various stages from initial awareness through post-purchase support.

Common Challenges

Common challenges include creating journey maps without sufficient user research, leading to assumptions rather than data-driven insights. Organizations may struggle with unclear objectives, making it difficult to focus on meaningful improvements. Journey maps can become outdated quickly if not regularly updated with new user feedback and changing business contexts. Cross-functional team alignment is often problematic, as different departments may have conflicting perspectives on the customer experience.

Related Topics: customer journey maps, user experience design, service design, touchpoints, personas, user research, experience mapping, customer experience management