map-a-service-journey

name	map-a-service-journey
category	design
description	Map an end-to-end service experience from research and operational evidence. Use when people cross channels, stages, waits, handoffs, and recovery paths that one screen or team cannot explain.

map-a-service-journey

Procedure

1. Define the person, scenario, desired outcome, start, end, and evidence boundary.
2. Gather interviews, observation, support, analytics, communications, artifacts, and operational records.
3. Build stages and chronological actions without smoothing over loops or waits.
4. Record goals, questions, touchpoints, channels, emotions as reported, barriers, and workarounds.
5. Add handoffs, dependencies, moments of trust, accessibility, and failure recovery.
6. Separate observed evidence, participant account, interpretation, and unknown.
7. Compare meaningful variants instead of averaging incompatible journeys.
8. Identify opportunities tied to harm or unmet need and the evidence needed to test them.
9. Review with participants and service owners, then version the map.

Guardrails

• Do not invent emotions or use a single story as universal.
• Minimize personal data and protect sensitive experiences.
• Avoid treating a polished map as proof that the service works.

Done

• A journey map preserves stages, evidence, variants, handoffs, and gaps
• Participants and service owners have checked the record
• Opportunities link to observed needs and validation actions