Product innovation requires a thorough understanding of how an experience works (or does not work) for a customer. It is important to understand the person and their journey. In this presentation, I share with you my thoughts on personas and jounrey maps.

1. Mapping User Experiences
for Product Innovation

2. “The journey of a 1,000 miles
starts with one step.”

9. Social MediaWebsite Mobile

10. Accept Requests

11. Rate the DriverRequest a Ride Enter Destination Check Driver Info Pay the Fare

12. Get RatedTrack EarningsSent DirectionsAccept RequestsGo Online

14. Build
Personas
1 2 3 4 5
Determine
Technology
Decide on
Your Map
Build Your
Map
Revise the
Journey

15. Build Your Personas1

17. Name & Job Title
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Responsibilities and Tasks:
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________“quote”
Experience
Tech Savvy
Salary
Design Drivers:
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
Pain Points
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
Context/Environment:
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
Goals and Motivations
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________
• _______________________________

18. Jenny – Big City Professional
Jenny lives in a big city and lives close to
work. She does not own a car, but she will
occasionally need rides across the city.
Responsibilities and Tasks:
• Walks or takes a subway to work
• Errands are combined to maximize time
• Lives, works, and plays near her home
“I need a
ride now.”
Experience
Tech Savvy
Salary
Design Drivers:
• Uses mobile phone for many things
• Shops and banks online
• Uses PayPal for purchases
• Enjoys using social media
• Does not own a car
Pain Points:
• Does not like hailing cabs
• Wants to get places quickly
• Cannot figure out how to tip cabbies
• Does not like fumbling with her purse
• Wants to trust the driver
Context/Environment:
• Lives in a large city with lots of cabs
• Tech savvy with apps and social media
• Prefers privacy on crowded streets
• Needs to get places quickly
Goals and Motivations:
• Wants a ride when she needs it
• Needs to trust the driver and service
• Wants to tip accurately and quickly
• Needs easy to use product or service

19. Here is a pro tip!

20. Based on Research
• Personas should be based on user
interviews, not SME knowledge.
• You can create an initial persona with
an SME, just validate it with real users.

21. Validate Personas with Your Team
• Validate personas with the product
team, as soon as possible.
• Use the personas to build scenarios
and use cases.
• Refer to personas when you build
your journey map.

22. Use Job Descriptions
Job descriptions are starting points for
personas. They have this information:
• Responsibilities and Duties
• Education Requirements
• Technology Used
• Goals and Motivations
• Pain Points

23. Determine Technology2

24. Site KioskMobile Credit CardsHelp Desk
Determine the Technology Used
People use different types of technology to perform various tasks. In your journey maps,
you need to determine potential technology gaps and possible technology solutions, too.

25. Project Brief
• Use a project brief to help you
determine the technology used.
• The Lead Developer should fill out the
project brief before your journey map
workshop.

26. Here is a pro tip!

27. Review the Brief
• Review the project brief with your
team to get an initial alignment.
• Project briefs are called “Baby BRDs.”
This data will get put into in your
Business Requirements Documents.

28. Personas & Briefs
• Personas contain some of technology
descriptions from the project brief.
• They do not depend upon each other.
Do not wait to create them.

29. Decide on Your Map3

30. Customer Journey Map Channel Map
Service Design BlueprintCustomer Lifecycle Map

31. Customer Journey Maps
These maps illustrate a customer’s emotions as they interact with a product. They focus on
the emotional satisfaction and triggers that drive customer loyalty and decision making.

35. Service Design Blueprints
This map aligns internal, operational processes (back stage) with the customer’s journey
(front stage) to highlight areas that might be disconnected or inconsistent for users.

39. Customer Lifecycle Map
This high-level map follows a customer throughout the phases of their relationship with a
company, which may be many years. It is useful for marketing and sales to target their efforts.
Aware AdvocateEvaluate ExperienceBuyer

43. Channel Map
This map focuses on the interactions within and across different channels. These maps help to
improve consistencies between channels and streamline multi-channel experiences.
Site KioskMobile ChatHelp Desk

48. Type of Map Organization Content
Customer Journey
Map
Chronological Steps, Actions, Thoughts, Feelings,
Pain Points, Opportunities, etc.
Service Design
Blueprint
Chronological Actors and processes for the
Front-stage and Back-stage
Customer Lifecycle
Map
Chronological Physical and social artifacts in the
system and opportunities to improve
the system.
Channel Map Chronological User tasks conducted across a series of
channels, which may include KPIs.

49. Build Your Map4

50. Scenario: __________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Technology:________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
1. ________________
2. ________________
3. ________________
4. ________________
5. ________________
6. ________________
7. ________________
8. ________________
9. ________________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
Step #1 Step #2 Step #3 Step #4

51. Scenario: __________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Technology:________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
1. ________________
2. ________________
3. ________________
4. ________________
5. ________________
6. ________________
7. ________________
8. ________________
9. ________________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
Step #1 Step #2 Step #3 Step #4
A
B
C

52. Scenario: __________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Technology:________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
A
The header provides the lens for the journey map by assigning:
• A persona (“Who”)
• Scenario (“What”)
• Technology (“How”)
You can include other information, such as the motivations and expectations of
the persona to provide additional context.

53. Scenario: Jenny needs to get a ride across
the city for her friend’s birthday party. She
wants to picked up at a certain time.
Technology:
• Mobile app on a smartphone
• Website for additional support
Here is an example of what the header might look like for Jenny (the rider):
• A persona (“Who”) = Jenny
• Scenario (“What”) = Pick up Jenny at a certain time
• Technology (“How”) = App, Website, etc
The rest of the journey map is built based upon the context from the header.

54. Here are pro tips!

55. Personas & Maps
Display persona(s) near the journey map.
Your team will want to refer to personas,
while building the journey map.
If you have multiple personas, it is critical
to display all the personas to verify you
account for the needs of all your users.

56. Scenario: Jenny needs to get a ride across
the city for her friend’s birthday party. She
wants to picked up at a certain time.
Technology:
• Mobile app on a smartphone
• Website for additional support
Fill out the header
before
the session starts!

57. Scenario: __________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Technology:________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
1. ________________
2. ________________
3. ________________
4. ________________
5. ________________
6. ________________
7. ________________
8. ________________
9. ________________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
Step #1 Step #2 Step #3 Step #4
B

58. Emotional Journey Map Channel Map
Service Design BlueprintCustomer Lifecycle Map

59. 1. ________________
2. ________________
3. ________________
4. ________________
5. ________________
6. ________________
7. ________________
8. ________________
9. ________________
Step #1 Step #2 Step #3 Step #4
B
The middle part of the map is the heart of the journey. You need to put the journey
into chunks, describe the actions, describe user thoughts, and emotional experiences.
The content changes based upon your needs: Service Design Blueprint, Channel Map,
Emotional Journey Map, Current Flow, or Ideal Flow.

60. Scenario: Jenny needs to get a ride across
the city for her friend’s birthday party. She
wants to picked up at a certain time.
Technology:
• Mobile app on a smartphone
• Website for additional support
1. Wave or Whistle.
2. Hope they respond.
3. Driver acknowledges.
4. Tell the, where to go.
5. Buckle up.
6. Watch meter run.
7. Pay cabbie.
8. Loved driver.
9. Unsure what to do.
Hail a Cab Take a Ride Pay the Cab Rate Driver
Did they see me?
Do they know how
to get there?
This is
expensive!
How
much tip?
Nice driver. How do
I tell her boss?

61. Here are pro tips!

62. Emotional Journey Map Channel Map
Service Design BlueprintCustomer Lifecycle Map

63. Scenario: Jenny needs to get a ride across
the city for her friend’s birthday party. She
wants to picked up at a certain time.
Technology:
• Mobile app on a smartphone
• Website for additional support
Hail a Cab Take a Ride Pay the Cab Rate Driver
Fill out the steps
before
the session starts!

64. Scenario: __________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Technology:________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
1. ________________
2. ________________
3. ________________
4. ________________
5. ________________
6. ________________
7. ________________
8. ________________
9. ________________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
Step #1 Step #2 Step #3 Step #4
C

65. Scenario: __________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Technology:________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
1. ________________
2. ________________
3. ________________
4. ________________
5. ________________
6. ________________
7. ________________
8. ________________
9. ________________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
Step #1 Step #2 Step #3 Step #4
C
The bottom of the journey map provides your ideas to improve the journey. In
this section, you will want to create ideas to:
• Alleviate pain points
• Use different technology
• Exploit new opportunities
• Differentiate from competitors
• Increase efficiencies
• Improve the quality of an experience
• Remove steps
Generate ideas for each stage of the user journey. Then, rate (or vote on) them.

66. Scenario: Jenny needs to get a ride across
the city for her friend’s birthday party. She
wants to picked up at a certain time.
Technology:
• Mobile app on a smartphone
• Website for additional support
1. Wave or Whistle.
2. Hope they respond.
3. Driver acknowledges.
4. Tell the, where to go.
5. Buckle up.
6. Watch meter run.
7. Pay cabbie.
8. Loved driver.
9. Unsure what to do.
Hail a Cab Take a Ride Pay the Cab Rate Driver
Did they see me?
Do they know how
to get there?
This is
expensive
How
much tip?
Nice driver. How do
I tell her boss?
• Driver has destination.
• Rate is already set
before the ride.
• Schedule a ride.
• Use app to hail ride.
• Send reminders.
• Rider already paid
driver with app.
• PayPal can be used.
• Rider can rate
drivers using app.
• Use star ratings.

67. Here is a pro tip!

68. Scenario: Jenny needs to get a ride across
the city for her friend’s birthday party. She
wants to picked up at a certain time.
Technology:
• Mobile app on a smartphone
• Website for additional support
1. Wave or Whistle.
2. Hope they respond.
3. Driver acknowledges.
4. Tell the, where to go.
5. Buckle up.
6. Watch meter run.
7. Pay cabbie.
8. Loved driver.
9. Unsure what to do.
Hail a Cab Take a Ride Pay the Cab Rate Driver
Did they see me?
Do they know how
to get there?
This is
expensive
How
much tip?
Nice driver. How do
I tell her boss?
• Driver has destination.
• Rate is already set
before the ride.
• Schedule a ride.
• Use app to hail ride.
• Send reminders.
• Rider already paid
driver with app.
• PayPal can be used.
• Rider can rate
drivers using app.
• Use star ratings.

69. KJ Analysis for User
Basic Expectations (Must Haves):
- Easy to use mobile with profile setup
- Credit card setup in user profile
Performance Payoffs:
- No more fumbling with cash
- Do not have to figure out tipping
Differentiators (Excitement Generators):
- Schedule a ride (no waving them down)
- Rate a driver with the mobile app

70. Improve the Journey5

71. Let’s Improve This Journey

72. Erasing Troughs

73. Present a New Option Earlier

74. Start Strong

75. End Strong

76. Early Starts, Later Ends

77. Smoother Handoffs

78. Remove Steps

79. Magnify Peaks

80. Reimagine the Experience

81. Re-order Steps

82. Adaptive Experiences

83. Here is a pro tip!

84. Do Design Studio Right Away
After completing a journey map, perform a Design Studio Workshop to visually illustrate
your revised vision. You can use the same stakeholders to sketch and critique, too.

85. Recipe for Success
Journey
Map
Design
Studio
Rapid
Prototyping
Usability
Testing

86. Build
Personas
1 2 3 4 5
Determine
Technology
Decide on
Your Map
Build Your
Map
Revise the
Journey

87. Build Your Personas1

88. Based on Research
• Personas should be based on user
interviews, not SME knowledge.
• You can create an initial persona with
an SME, just validate it with real users.

89. Validate Personas with Your Team
• Validate personas with the product
team, as soon as possible.
• Use the personas to build scenarios
and use cases.
• Refer to personas when you build
your journey map.

90. Determine Technology2

91. Site KioskMobile Credit CardsHelp Desk
Determine the Technology Used
People use different types of technology to perform various tasks. In your journey maps,
you need to determine potential technology gaps and possible technology solutions, too.

92. Project Brief
• Use a project brief to help you
determine the technology used.
• The Lead Developer should fill out the
project brief before your journey map
workshop.

93. Build Your Map4

94. Scenario: __________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Technology:________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
1. ________________
2. ________________
3. ________________
4. ________________
5. ________________
6. ________________
7. ________________
8. ________________
9. ________________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
Step #1 Step #2 Step #3 Step #4
A
B
C

95. Personas & Maps
Display persona(s) near the journey map.
Your team will want to refer to personas,
while building the journey map.
If you have multiple personas, it is critical
to display all the personas to verify you
account for the needs of all your users.

96. Scenario: Jenny needs to get a ride across
the city for her friend’s birthday party. She
wants to picked up at a certain time.
Technology:
• Mobile app on a smartphone
• Website for additional support
Hail a Cab Take a Ride Pay the Cab Rate Driver
Fill out the steps
before
the session starts!

97. Scenario: Jenny needs to get a ride across
the city for her friend’s birthday party. She
wants to picked up at a certain time.
Technology:
• Mobile app on a smartphone
• Website for additional support
1. Wave or Whistle.
2. Hope they respond.
3. Driver acknowledges.
4. Tell the, where to go.
5. Buckle up.
6. Watch meter run.
7. Pay cabbie.
8. Loved driver.
9. Unsure what to do.
Hail a Cab Take a Ride Pay the Cab Rate Driver
Did they see me?
Do they know how
to get there?
This is
expensive
How
much tip?
Nice driver. How do
I tell her boss?
• Driver has destination.
• Rate is already set
before the ride.
• Schedule a ride.
• Use app to hail ride.
• Send reminders.
• Rider already paid
driver with app.
• PayPal can be used.
• Rider can rate
drivers using app.
• Use star ratings.

98. KJ Analysis for User
Basic Expectations (Must Haves):
- Easy to use mobile with profile setup
- Credit card setup in user profile
Performance Payoffs:
- No more fumbling with cash
- Do not have to figure out tipping
Differentiators (Excitement Generators):
- Schedule a ride (no waving them down)
- Rate a driver with the mobile app

99. Improve the Journey5

100. Start with Your Flow

101. Make Adjustments

102. Experiment

103. Do Design Studio Right Away
After completing a journey map, perform a Design Studio Workshop to visually illustrate
your revised vision. You can use the same stakeholders to sketch and critique, too.

104. Recipe for Success
Journey
Map
Design
Studio
Rapid
Prototyping
Usability
Testing

105. “The journey of a 1,000 miles
starts with one step.”

106. Mapping User Experiences
for Product Innovation