What is user journey mapping?

User journey mapping is a method of visualizing the user’s process to accomplish a goal. It is usually represented as a timeline of how the user interacts with a product. It allows the designers to see the product from the perspective of a user.

Most user journey maps have a similar format:

• at the top - a specific user, scenario, and the expected goals.
• in the middle - actions, thoughts, and emotions. These are high-level phases.
• at the bottom - insights and other takeaways.

The terms ‘user journey map’ and ‘customer journey map’ can be used interchangeably. However, all end-users (who use the product) are not customers (who perform the purchasing transaction).

Components of a user journey map

User journey maps can be of different shapes and sizes. However, all of them have the following components:

1. Persona - the one who experiences the journey on the user journey map. Designers see this persona’s journey on the user journey map. A persona is a point of view whose narrative is built on the journey map. It is used to depict the user.

2. Scenario - the situation the user journey map is about. Each journey map addresses one scenario. It is associated with the persona’s goals and expectations. Scenarios can be both real (for existing products) or anticipated (for products that are being designed currently). For example, one scenario could be booking a trip on a website.

3. Phases of the journey - high-level stages in the journey. These provide information regarding the journey, such as actions needed to be performed, emotions, etc. For example, the stages in an e-commerce scenario would be to explore, see details, buy, use.

4. Actions, mindsets, emotions - behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that the actor has as they progress through the user journey map.

• actions - narrative of the steps that the actor takes. It is not a log of each interaction. Rather it is a narrative of the steps an actor takes during the particular phase.

• mindsets - user’s thoughts, motivations, and information they require.

• emotions - plotted on a graph to tell about the emotional ups and downs of the user.

5. Opportunities - insights gained from user journey mapping. These inform what needs to be done to optimize the user’s experience. For example:

What changes do we need to make? What are the biggest opportunities?

Example

The following example shows a journey map where the actor Jamie needs to switch mobile plans: