IXD 303 – What Are Journey Maps?

Prologue

During week 5 we looked a many different processes regarding content design. I looked at content style guides initially, thanks to mailchimp they layed out a really helpful page in regards to all the different aspects of web elements.

This time I wanted to look at Journey Maps, their uses and why they can be very important for creating an app or website.

What are Journey Maps?

This would be the first thing you’d ask yourself. Well a journey map is a visualization of the process that a person goes through in order to accomplish a goal. In its most basic form, journey mapping starts by compiling a series of user actions into a timeline. Next, the timeline is fleshed out with user thoughts and emotions in order to create a narrative.

Okay so it’s a form of storyboard for ux design? A good way to get a sense of what they are is too look at them. Here are 2 examples of journey maps.

How to Create an Effective Customer Journey Map [Examples + Template]7 Ways to Analyze a Customer-Journey Map

Why are they Important?

So now that we know what they are and how they can be layed out, it’s time to look at why they exist and their importance. A journey maps can help you illustrate the overall experience a customer has with a service, a physical or digital product, or even a brand. A journey map can help you in different ways when it comes to improving and optimizing your customer experience.

It is especially useful across both the iteration and refinement process as new elements are designed and older processes are refined or eliminated. It allows you to identify opportunities to improve and enhance the overall customer experience.

For content creators, it can help determine what content you need to create and the best way to approach it. For designers, it provides context for how users see the experience. For UX designers, it can identify missing connections in navigation, stress points in the flow and help eliminate customer frustrations.

At its heart, customer journey mapping puts the customer at the center of everything you do. Instead of looking first at your priorities and making assumptions about how to motivate customers to meet your goals, consider the customer first and how they will move through the funnel.

 

I am going make a journey map in regards to my health care app, this along with user peronas.

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