Customer journey mapping
About customer journey maps
What is it?
A customer journey map shows how a user interacts with a service to achieve a goal.
It tells the story of their experience from start to finish.
Why use it?
Use a journey map to understand the user’s experience.
It helps you:
- see where users get stuck or frustrated
- identify opportunities to improve outcomes
- focus on the parts of the journey that matter most.
Base your map on real research. Do not rely on assumptions.
When to use it
Do user research during the discovery phase. Then create a journey map using what you learn.
Who should use it?
- Product owners
- Service designers
- UX designers
How to create a customer journey map
Step 1: Define your user
Start with a clear user based on research.
Include:
- what they are trying to do
- their motivations
- what happens before and after the interaction.
Use:
- quantitative data (what users do)
- qualitative research (how users think and feel)
Update your user definition as you learn more.
Step 2: Choose the scenario
Define what part of the journey to map.
Keep it simple. Focus on one goal.
Example
A café owner registering a new business.
Define the goal clearly.
For example: Register a business
Step 3: Map the journey
Visualise the journey in a way that works for your team. It does not need to be linear.
Use swim lanes or similar layouts. Use visuals to make the journey easy to understand.
You can map using sticky notes on a board, or a cloud based tool such as Miro.
Include:
- User – age, background, thoughts, feelings, expectations, pain points
- Timeline – the stages of the journey
- Touchpoints – where users interact with government
- Emotions – how the user feels at each stage
- Channels – how they interact (for example, website, app, call centre, shopfront)
Current state vs future state
You can map the current state (how things work now) or a future state (how you want things to work). Start with the current state. Use it to identify problems. Then design a future state that addresses them.
Example
Step 4: Share and update
Display the map where your team can see it.
Walk stakeholders through the journey. This helps build empathy and shared understanding.
Keep the map up to date. It is a living artefact.
Use it to:
- define scope
- identify problems and solutions
- break down silos across teams
- understand the full user experience.
Use the journey map when sharing your findings with stakeholders. It helps people who weren't part of the research understand what users actually experience.
Example
