user-journey-mapping

name	user-journey-mapping
description	Use when visualizing a user's end-to-end experience for a specific scenario, identifying pain points and emotion lows, aligning teams on user flow, planning improvements to onboarding/checkout/support, or producing a service blueprint.
metadata	{"references":["references/blueprint-guide.md","references/journey-template.md","references/touchpoint-patterns.md"]}

User Journey Mapping

Map Type Selection

Type	Use When
Journey Map	Optimizing one persona through one specific scenario
Experience Map	Entering a new market; understanding category-level behavior outside your product
Service Blueprint	Coordinating across teams; surfacing backstage/support processes affecting UX

Workflow

Step 1 — Define scope. One persona, one scenario (e.g., "New user signs up and completes first project"). Narrow scope produces actionable maps; broad scope produces wallpaper.

Step 2 — Identify 5–7 sequential stages. Each stage = a distinct phase with its own goal. Example: Awareness → Sign-Up → First Use → Configuration → First Value → Routine Use → Expansion.

Step 3 — Fill the stage matrix. For each stage document: Actions, Thoughts, Emotions (1–5), Touchpoints, Pain Points, Opportunities (template below).

Step 4 — Validation checkpoint. Before continuing, verify the map against real data:

• Compare every Action/Thought row against ≥5 user interview transcripts or analytics events.
• Flag any row backed only by team assumption — mark "ASSUMPTION" and schedule research.
• Pass criteria: ≥80% of rows have direct evidence (quote, log event, survey response). If <80%, pause and run targeted research before Step 5.

Step 5 — Plot the emotion curve. Graph 1–5 scores across stages. Identify valleys (likely churn points) and peaks (delight moments).

Step 6 — Prioritize using severity × frequency. Apply the P0–P3 matrix below. Share with product/engineering to align on what ships first.

Stage Matrix Template

Stage	Awareness	Sign-Up	First Use	Configuration	First Value
Actions	Reads blog, clicks CTA	Enters email	Opens dashboard	Sets preferences	Completes first task
Thoughts	"Does this solve my problem?"	"Worth my time?"	"Where do I start?"	"More setup than expected"	"Oh, this works"
Emotions	Curious (3/5)	Hopeful (4/5)	Confused (2/5)	Frustrated (2/5)	Satisfied (4/5)
Touchpoints	Blog, landing page	Sign-up form, email	Dashboard, tooltip	Settings, invite flow	Core feature
Pain Points	Value prop unclear	Too many fields	No guidance	Wrong defaults	—
Opportunities	Clearer headline	Social sign-in	Guided walkthrough	Smart defaults	Celebrate moment
Evidence	Interview #2, #4	Funnel drop 38%	Session replay	Survey Q7	Activation event

Emotion Curve Format

  5 |         *                              *
  4 |    *         *                    *
  3 |                   *
  2 |                        *    *
  1 |
    +------------------------------------------
      Aware  Sign-Up  First  Config  Value  Routine

Measure emotion: ask interviewees to rate 1–5 at each stage. Also watch verbal cues (sighs, laughter, hesitation). Aggregate across 5+ users.

Moments of Truth

Flag and design explicitly for:

• First impression — Does the product communicate value within 5 seconds?
• First friction — How does it handle the user's first mistake?
• First value — When does the user achieve what they came for?
• Recovery — When something fails, what happens next?

Pain Point Prioritization

Priority	Severity	Frequency	Action
P0	High	High	Fix now — users churning
P1	High	Low	Fix soon — catastrophic when hit
P2	Low	High	Improve — constant minor annoyance (quick wins)
P3	Low	Low	Backlog

Deliverable Checklist

Before sharing the map:

• Persona named and linked to a persona doc
• Scenario stated in one sentence
• 5–7 stages, each with all six rows filled
• Evidence column populated for ≥80% of cells
• Emotion curve drawn
• Top 3 P0/P1 opportunities highlighted with owner and ETA proposed
• Reviewed with 1 user-research lead and 1 PM/engineer

Deep Dive References

• Journey Template — Full canvas, components, formats, presentation tips
• Blueprint Guide — Frontstage/backstage/support layers, digital adaptations
• Touchpoint Patterns — Inventory method, owned/earned/paid, matrix, moment-of-truth identification

Next Steps

• user-research — If the validation checkpoint flagged assumption-heavy stages, run targeted research to fill the gaps.
• information-architecture — Use the journey to inform navigation that matches the user's mental model.