Importance of User Journey Map

What is a User Journey Map?

When UX designers/team design a product, one of the many fundamental questions posed is how will the users use this product. Answering such questions will lead to the creation of a unique product. However, to answer this question, the UX designer/team must understand the user’s perspective – The very essence of the entire experience. This is where a user journey map comes into play as a tool to help them answer this fundamental question. You may also check what is integrated pg here!

A user Journey Map (aka Customer Journey Map) is a diagram that visually explains user flow through the product. It starts from initial contact to identify critical interactions and touchpoints to create long-term engagement and loyalty. A user journey map also helps to identify the functionality required from the product and the UI. A user journey map is a helpful tool for everyone to look at the product from the user’s perspective. It can be considered an integral part of UX design and optimization. It encourages the UX designer/team to evaluate the UX of the product in its entirety: the user’s needs, behavior, and motivation while they interact with the product. A user journey map is a fantastic tool to understand and address the user’s pain points.

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There are two significant advantages to a user journey map –

• Looking at the UX through the lens of a user journey map can align the stakeholders around achieving business goals.
• A user journey map can help UX designers/team design a product that can guide their users toward meeting their requirements.

User Journey vs User Flow

When talking about a user journey map, people often compare user journey vs user flow. User journey and user flow are tools used to illustrate the interaction between the product and its users. Too often, several designers consider them both to be the same thing. However, that is not the case as both these tools focus on different aspects of the said product. Enroll for the latest batch of UX Design Degree here!

User flow is an overview of all the steps users might while interacting with the product. Here, Flow describes the movement, or rather which the users would drive through to accomplish a task. This path is split into a series of steps that the user takes from the entry point to the final action (purchase, subscription, signup, etc.).

The above user flow example shows how a user goes through an eCommerce site right up to purchase confirmation. User flow is an excellent method to segment and defines the UX of the product. User flows help the UX designer/team create an inherent interface while working on the IA and UI design. It also helps in communicating with developers and can be utilized during the design process’s implementation phase. You may also check about what is typographic design here!

On the other hand, a user journey (aka user journey map or customer journey map) is a visual illustration of the user flow through the product, as mentioned before. It considers the feelings, pain points, behavior, and motivations of the users apart from the steps that a user takes to accomplish a task. It visualizes the user’s relationship with the product across different channels that are methods of communication, such as the website or app store, which helps the UX designer/team uncover gaps within the UX. You may also read about what is the difference between ux and ui? here!

The above user journey example explains that a user journey map comes in many different formats. It represents a timeline of all touchpoints between a product and its users. This timeline also contains information about multiple channels that users utilize to interact with the said product.

In comparison with user flow, the user journey does not solely focus on the task at hand but also on the elements that trigger the users to accomplish the task in the first place. The user journey is exceptionally layered in terms of users’ feelings, motivations, etc. If you wish, you can download the above customer journey map template in PDF format.

User journey mapping questions

As of 2020, we live in a time of unprecedented change. With every ground-breaking news on the vaccine, expectations for human survival are rising amid a pandemic. Similarly, every new digital product brings forth a rise in user expectations, focusing on user-centric strategies. A simple customer journey map can be a long-standing tool of this design thinking movement, gaining notoriety in the last few years. Yes, user journey maps are imperative when applied with the correct ethos to the right obstacle, but they aren’t the elixir of life. You may also learn about what is the difference between honours and non honours degree here!

To ensure that the UX designer/team uses prospective user journey mapping for the right reasons to unlock their full potential, here are a few crucial questions that need to pose prior:

What is the expected outcome the organization is working towards?

Creating a comprehensive user journey map takes significant time and resources, so it’s essential to understand why the organization has greenlit it in the first place.

The UX designer/team should ask themselves what they want to do at the end of the user journey mapping process. If the answer is a user journey map, then they’re not doing it justice. One must remember that a user journey map is not inherently valuable – the value lies in the insights and learnings that are uncovered. You can also know more about what is the paypal mafia here!

Is a user journey map the right tool?

Once the UX designer/team has an understanding of the outcome they are looking for, the next question to pose is whether a user journey map will achieve that outcome or not.

User journey maps are valuable in many ways, such as:

• Providing a digestible, high-level view of the user journey.
• Identifying pain points and areas for improvement.
• Identifying opportunities for innovation via service design.
• Provides a point of reference for the team when it comes to discussions around the UX.
• The user journey map provides a critical benchmark against which changes in the user journey can be measured.

If the outcome they are looking for is listed above, then the user journey map is the right tool! If not, other alternatives should be considered, such as user research or creating personas.

What is the scope of the user journey map?

Depending on the industry and the organization’s nature, a UX designer/team can map several journeys, covering multiple channels and touchpoints.

It is imperative to be open on the start scope of the journey to create a concise and focused map. Meanwhile, you may also check our blog post on how to become a ux designer without a degree here!

How does the organization intend to use the user journey map once it is created?

This is an important question, as a user journey map is only a single tool within a wider user-centric setting. To gather the most value from a user journey map, one has to be sure about the next steps in place for identifying, organizing, and prioritizing insights. Having the next steps in place sets expectations ensuring that the momentum is not lost toward achieving results. You may also check out why is entrepreneurship important here!

How to communicate with the users?

Understand this; a user journey map is ultimately a research tool. It is a way to make sense of complex user insight that is gathered. It should not be created based on opinions and assumptions, let alone second-hand insight.

There are several ways to gather user insight, such as:

• Interviews
• Surveys
• User Feedback
• Online reviews

Remember, the user journey map will confirm pre-existing misconceptions and reinforce generalizations about the user and provide no value if created in a vacuum. Read how to start a company from scratch here!

Conclusion

It’s essential to remember a user journey map’s goal is to create a shared perception. It is a tool that provides a holistic view of the user experience by uncovering insights. If done right, it will reveal opportunities to create a delightful experience for the users. Go to this website to know why is uipath successful here!