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Method

Journey map

A method for representing a person's path through a service, step by step, with their actions, touchpoints, emotions and pain points.

Origin
Widespread practice, with no single author; systematized by Kalbach (2016)
Output
A step-by-step map of the journey, with actions, touchpoints, emotions and pain points

What it’s for

It helps you see the experience from the person’s point of view and find where it breaks.

Key elements

  • Actions

    The steps the person takes.

  • Touchpoints

    Who or what they interact with at each step.

  • Emotions

    How they feel along the way.

  • Pain points

    Where they get stuck or frustrated.

An example

Imagine the process of renewing an official document.

A list of stepsbookingofficewaitpaperspick up
Book an appointment, go to the office, wait, hand in papers, pick up. It looks simple.
A journey mapbookingofficewaitpaperspick uphow much longer?
The same steps with what the person feels: the anxiety of not finding an appointment and the wait with no information. You can see where it hurts.

The map turns a list of steps into an experience that can be improved.

How it’s done

  1. Research with real people, not imagined ones.

  2. Draw the journey with its emotions and pain points.

  3. Choose the moments most worth improving.

Applications in design

  • When to use it

    To understand an experience that spans several channels and moments, and to compare the current journey with the one you want to achieve.

  • Avoid

    Drawing it from the office without talking to anyone: it will be the team's opinion, not the real experience.

  • Don’t fall for it

    Take it beyond digital: include calls, waits and paperwork.

Connections

Builds on

Related to

Authors and works

  1. 2016

    Jim Kalbach

    Gathered and organized the practice of mapping experiences in Mapping Experiences.

  2. 2010

    Marc Stickdorn and Jakob Schneider

    Included it among the basic tools of service design.

Sources

Secondary sources

  • Kalbach, J. (2016). Mapping experiences: A complete guide to creating value through journeys, blueprints, and diagrams. O'Reilly.
  • Stickdorn, M., & Schneider, J. (Eds.) (2010). This is service design thinking: Basics, tools, cases. BIS Publishers.

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