# User Journey Mapping

## Overview

User journey mapping is a visualization of the process a person goes through to accomplish a goal. It helps understand user experiences, identify pain points, and find opportunities for improvement.

## Journey Map Components

### User Persona
- Representative user
- Demographics
- Goals
- Needs
- Context

### Stages/Phases
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Purchase
- Onboarding
- Usage
- Support

### Touchpoints
- Website
- Mobile app
- Email
- Phone
- In-person
- Social media

### Actions
- What user does
- Steps taken
- Tasks performed
- Interactions
- Decisions made

### Emotions
- Feelings at each stage
- Emotional highs
- Emotional lows
- Frustrations
- Delights

### Pain Points
- Problems encountered
- Friction points
- Barriers
- Confusion
- Failures

### Opportunities
- Improvement areas
- Enhancement opportunities
- Innovation points
- Service gaps
- Value additions

## Creating Journey Maps

### Step 1: Define Scope
- User persona
- Goal or scenario
- Timeframe
- Touchpoints
- Success criteria

### Step 2: Research
- User interviews
- Surveys
- Analytics
- Observation
- Support data

### Step 3: Map Stages
- Identify phases
- Define stages
- Sequence steps
- Timeline
- Transitions

### Step 4: Document Touchpoints
- All interactions
- Channels
- Devices
- Locations
- Context

### Step 5: Capture Actions
- User actions
- Steps taken
- Decisions
- Interactions
- Behaviors

### Step 6: Identify Emotions
- Emotional state
- Highs and lows
- Frustrations
- Delights
- Sentiment

### Step 7: Find Pain Points
- Problems
- Friction
- Barriers
- Failures
- Issues

### Step 8: Identify Opportunities
- Improvements
- Enhancements
- Innovations
- Gaps
- Solutions

## Journey Map Types

### Current State
- Existing experience
- As-is journey
- Current pain points
- Baseline understanding
- Problem identification

### Future State
- Ideal experience
- To-be journey
- Vision
- Goals
- Target experience

### Day in the Life
- Complete user day
- All interactions
- Full context
- Comprehensive view
- Holistic understanding

### Service Blueprint
- Detailed process
- Frontstage and backstage
- Support processes
- Infrastructure
- Service delivery

## Journey Map Formats

### Linear Journey
- Sequential steps
- Timeline
- Flow diagram
- Step-by-step
- Clear progression

### Circular Journey
- Continuous cycle
- Recurring patterns
- Ongoing relationship
- Lifecycle view
- Circular flow

### Matrix Format
- Stages vs. dimensions
- Multiple perspectives
- Comprehensive view
- Detailed analysis
- Structured format

## Using Journey Maps

### Design Decisions
- Inform design
- Prioritize features
- Identify improvements
- Guide development
- User-centered decisions

### Communication
- Share with team
- Align stakeholders
- Build empathy
- Tell user story
- Create awareness

### Problem Solving
- Identify issues
- Root cause analysis
- Solution development
- Prioritize fixes
- Measure impact

### Innovation
- Find opportunities
- New features
- Service improvements
- Innovation points
- Value creation

## Best Practices

### 1. User-Centered
- Based on real users
- User research
- Actual behavior
- Real scenarios
- Authentic journeys

### 2. Comprehensive
- All touchpoints
- Complete journey
- Full context
- End-to-end view
- Holistic perspective

### 3. Visual
- Easy to understand
- Clear visualization
- Engaging format
- Shareable
- Memorable

### 4. Actionable
- Specific insights
- Clear opportunities
- Prioritized actions
- Measurable outcomes
- Implementation ready

### 5. Collaborative
- Team involvement
- Stakeholder input
- Cross-functional
- Shared understanding
- Alignment

## Common Mistakes

### 1. Assumptions
- Not based on research
- Internal perspective
- Guessing user behavior
- No validation
- Inaccurate maps

### 2. Too Generic
- Not specific enough
- Lacks detail
- Missing context
- Unclear insights
- Not actionable

### 3. Single Perspective
- Only one viewpoint
- Missing dimensions
- Incomplete picture
- Limited insights
- Narrow focus

### 4. No Follow-Up
- Created but not used
- No action taken
- Forgotten
- No updates
- Wasted effort

## Tools and Templates

### Tools
- Miro
- Figma
- Lucidchart
- Smaply
- UXPressia

### Templates
- Linear journey
- Circular journey
- Matrix format
- Service blueprint
- Custom formats

## Best Practices Summary

1. **Research-Based**: Use real user data
2. **Comprehensive**: Cover all touchpoints
3. **Visual**: Clear visualization
4. **Actionable**: Specific insights
5. **Collaborative**: Team involvement
6. **User-Centered**: Focus on users
7. **Iterative**: Update regularly
8. **Measurable**: Track improvements
9. **Shared**: Communicate widely
10. **Used**: Act on insights

