User Journey Map
The Basic Idea
A young woman is mindlessly scrolling through reels on social media and sees an advert for a product which gets her attention. She begins researching the product, comparing features, prices, and reading customer reviews. She decides to purchase the item, so she adds it to her shopping cart and completes the online transaction. Two days later, the young woman receives the product and submits her feedback effortlessly via the email link that popped into her inbox earlier in the day.
A retired man in his early 70s needs to see a doctor for a non-urgent medical issue. He rings the clinic early in the morning to book an appointment for the same day. The receptionist deals with the man’s request, but then sends him a link to a new appointment booking app. She advises him that starting next month, all appointments should be requested through the app. Although the man has a smartphone, he is not comfortable with using apps. He downloads the app, but has trouble navigating the complex verification system. Furthermore, the writing on the app’s interface is very small, making it hard for him to read the sign-up instructions.
What do these two scenarios have in common?
Both describe a process which can be mapped and visualized using a user journey map. As you can see, user journeys can be either good or bad, with the user either completing a desired behavior (ordering a product) or not (failing to register on the app).
A user journey map is a visual representation that illustrates the steps and interactions a user goes through when engaging with a product or service. The purpose of this user experience (UX) tool is to enable companies to put themselves in the shoes of their users to “see”, and therefore understand, what they go through moment to moment. User journey mapping is crucial for highlighting moments of both frustration (known in UX terms as ‘pain points’) and delight during the users’ sequence of experiences, in order to improve the overall user experience. Ultimately, user journey maps plot the barriers that may impact a user’s willingness or ability to complete a desired behaviour.
While there are many different types of user journey maps, all of them have the following five elements in common:
1. Actor/persona
2. Scenario and Expectations
3. Journey Phases
4. Actions, Mindsets, and Emotions
5. Opportunities
These components may be adapted based on the specific goals, context, and audience for which the user journey is being created. The primary aim is to build a comprehensive representation of the user’s experience to inform design, marketing, and decision-making processes.
One [of the biggest mistakes] is believing there is an ‘ideal customer.’ It is like building your marriage expectations around a profile of the ‘ideal husband or wife.
Chip Bell, inventor of the user journey map.
About the Author
Dr. Lauren Braithwaite
Dr. Lauren Braithwaite is a Social and Behaviour Change Design and Partnerships consultant working in the international development sector. Lauren has worked with education programmes in Afghanistan, Australia, Mexico, and Rwanda, and from 2017–2019 she was Artistic Director of the Afghan Women’s Orchestra. Lauren earned her PhD in Education and MSc in Musicology from the University of Oxford, and her BA in Music from the University of Cambridge. When she’s not putting pen to paper, Lauren enjoys running marathons and spending time with her two dogs.
