{"id":8584,"date":"2023-06-21T10:03:03","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T10:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/?p=8584"},"modified":"2025-11-10T12:33:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:33:43","slug":"design-a-customer-journey-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/design-a-customer-journey-map\/","title":{"rendered":"How to design a customer journey map (A step-by-step guide)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A customer journey map is a visual representation of how a user interacts with your product. Learn how to create a customer journey map in this practical step-by-step guide.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Successful UX design is rooted in empathy. The best designers are able to step into their users\u2019 shoes and imagine what they think, feel, and experience as they interact with a product or service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most effective ways to foster user empathy and consider different perspectives is to create customer journey maps\u2014otherwise known as customer journey maps.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re new to journey mapping, look no further than this guide. We\u2019ll explain:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-is-a-customer-journey-map\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is a customer journey map?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#why-create-customer-journey-maps\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why create customer journey maps?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#when-to-create-customer-journey-maps\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When to create customer journey maps<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-are-the-elements-of-a-customer-journey-map\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the elements of a customer journey map?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#how-to-create-a-customer-journey-map\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to create a customer journey map (step-by-step)<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to skip straight to the how-to guide, just use the clickable menu to jump ahead. Otherwise, let\u2019s begin with a definition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><a id=\"what-is-a-customer-journey-map\"><\/a>What is a customer journey map?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A customer journey map (otherwise known as a user journey map) is a visual representation of how a user or customer interacts with your product. It maps out the steps they go through to complete a specific task or to achieve a particular goal\u2014for example, purchasing a product from an e-commerce website or creating a profile on a dating app.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where does their journey begin? What\u2019s their first point of interaction with the product? What actions and steps do they take to reach their end goal? How do they feel at each stage?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can answer all of those questions with a user journey map.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8585\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Screenshot-2023-06-21-at-10.36.16.png\" alt=\"user journey map\" width=\"1268\" height=\"724\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A user journey map template from <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/miro.com\/templates\/customer-journey-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Miro<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h2><strong><a id=\"why-create-customer-journey-maps\"><\/a>Why create customer journey maps?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating customer journey maps helps to:<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Centre the end user and foster empathy. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating a user\/customer journey map requires you to step into the end user\u2019s shoes and experience the product from their perspective. This reminds you to consider the user at all times and fosters empathy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Expose pain-points in the user experience. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By viewing the product from the user\u2019s perspective, you quickly become aware of pain-points or stumbling blocks within the user experience. Based on this insight, you can improve the product accordingly.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Uncover design opportunities. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">User journey maps don\u2019t just highlight pain-points; they can also inspire new ideas and opportunities. As you walk in your end user\u2019s shoes, you might think \u201cAh! An [X] feature would be great here!\u201d<\/span><b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Get all key stakeholders aligned. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">User journey maps are both visual and concise, making them an effective communication tool. Anybody can look at a user journey map and instantly understand how the user interacts with the product. This helps to create a shared understanding of the user experience, building alignment among multiple stakeholders.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, user journey maps are a great way to focus on the end user and understand how they experience your product. This helps you to create better user experiences that meet your users\u2019 needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><a id=\"when-to-create-customer-journey-maps\"><\/a>When to create customer journey maps<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">User journey maps can be useful at different stages of the product design process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps you\u2019ve got a fully-fledged product that you want to review and optimise, or completely redesign. You can create journey maps to visualise how your users currently interact with the product, helping you to identify pain-points and inform the next iteration of the product.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can also create user journey maps at the ideation stage. Before developing new ideas, you might want to visualise them in action, mapping out potential user journeys to test their validity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And, once you\u2019ve created user journey maps, you can use them to guide you in the creation of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/what-is-wireframing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wireframes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/prototyping-guide\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prototypes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Based on the steps mapped out in the user journey, you can see what touchpoints need to be included in the product and where.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><a id=\"what-are-the-elements-of-a-customer-journey-map\"><\/a>What are the elements of a customer journey map?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No two user journey maps are the same\u2014you can adapt the structure and content of your maps to suit your needs. But, as a rule, user journey maps should include the following:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>A user persona. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each user journey map represents the perspective of just one user persona. Ideally, you\u2019ll base your journey maps on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/what-are-ux-personas\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX personas<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that have been created using real user research data.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>A specific scenario.<\/b> This describes the goal or task the journey map is conveying\u2014in other words, the scenario in which the user finds themselves. For example, finding a language exchange partner on an app or returning a pair of shoes to an e-commerce company.<\/li>\n<li><b>User expectations. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The goal of a user journey map is to see things from your end user\u2019s perspective, so it\u2019s useful to define what their expectations are as they complete the task you\u2019re depicting.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>High-level stages or phases. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll divide the user journey into all the broad, high-level stages a user goes through. Imagine you\u2019re creating a user journey map for the task of booking a hotel via your website. The stages in the user\u2019s journey might be: Discover (the user discovers your website), Research (the user browses different hotel options), Compare (the user weighs up different options), Purchase (the user books a hotel).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Touchpoints. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within each high-level phase, you\u2019ll note down all the touchpoints the user comes across and interacts with. For example: the website homepage, a customer service agent, the checkout page.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Actions. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For each stage, you\u2019ll also map out the individual actions the user takes. This includes things like applying filters, filling out user details, and submitting payment information.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Thoughts. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is the user thinking at each stage? What questions do they have? For example: \u201cI wonder if I can get a student discount\u201d or \u201cWhy can\u2019t I filter by location?\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Emotions. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How does the user feel at each stage? What emotions do they go through? This includes things like frustration, confusion, uncertainty, excitement, and joy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Pain-points. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A brief note on any hurdles and points of friction the user encounters at each stage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Opportunities. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on everything you\u2019ve captured in your user journey map so far, what opportunities for improvement have you uncovered? How can you act upon your insights and who is responsible for leading those changes? The \u201copportunities\u201d section turns your user journey map into something actionable.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong><a id=\"how-to-create-a-customer-journey-map\"><\/a>How to create a customer journey map (step-by-step)<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s how to create a user journey map in 6 steps:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choose a user journey map template (or create your own)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Define your persona and scenario<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outline key stages, touchpoints, and actions\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fill in the user\u2019s thoughts, emotions, and pain-points<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identify opportunities\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Define action points and next steps<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Choose a user journey map template (or create your own)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The easiest way to create a user journey map is to fill in a ready-made template. Tools like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/miro.com\/templates\/customer-journey-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Miro<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lucidchart.com\/pages\/templates\/customer-journey-map\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lucidchart<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canva.com\/templates\/s\/customer-journey-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canva<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> all offer user\/customer journey map templates that you can fill in directly or customise to make your own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s an example of a user journey map template from Canva:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8586\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Screenshot-2023-06-21-at-10.43.02-1-1-1.png\" alt=\"canva user journey map\" width=\"1272\" height=\"974\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Define your persona and scenario<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each user journey map you create should represent a specific user journey from the perspective of a specific user persona. So: determine which UX persona will feature in your journey map, and what scenario they\u2019re in. In other words, what goal or task are they trying to complete?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Add details of your persona and scenario at the top of your user journey map.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Outline key stages, actions, and touchpoints<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now it\u2019s time to flesh out the user journey itself. First, consider the user scenario you\u2019re conveying and think about how you can divide it into high-level phases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within each phase, identify the actions the user takes and the touchpoints they interact with.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take, for example, the scenario of signing up for a dating app. You might divide the process into the following key phases: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Awareness, Consideration, Decision, Service, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Advocacy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within the Awareness phase, possible user actions might be: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hears about the dating app from friends, Sees an Instagram advert for the app, Looks for blog articles and reviews online.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Fill in the user\u2019s thoughts, emotions, and pain-points<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, step even further into your user\u2019s shoes to imagine what they may be thinking and feeling at each stage, as well as what pain-points might get in their way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To continue with our dating app example, the user\u2019s thoughts during the Awareness phase might be: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ve never used online dating before but maybe I should give this app a try\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As they\u2019re new to online dating, they may be feeling both interested and hesitant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While looking for blog articles and reviews, the user struggles to find anything helpful or credible. This can be added to your user journey map under \u201cpain-points\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. Identify opportunities<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now it\u2019s time to turn your user pain-points into opportunities. In our dating app example, we identified that the user wanted to learn more about the app before signing up but couldn\u2019t find any useful articles or reviews online.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How could you turn this into an opportunity? You might start to feature more dating app success stories on the company blog.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frame your opportunities as action points and state who will be responsible for implementing them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here we\u2019ve started to fill out the user journey map template for our dating app scenario: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8587\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Screenshot-2023-06-21-at-10.45.03-1-2.png\" alt=\"dating app customer journey map\" width=\"1260\" height=\"920\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Repeat the process for each phase in the user journey until your map is complete.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>6. Define action points and next steps\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">User journey maps are great for building empathy and getting you to see things from your user\u2019s perspective. They\u2019re also an excellent tool for communicating with stakeholders and creating a shared understanding around how different users experience your product.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once your user journey map is complete, be sure to share it with all key stakeholders and talk them through the most relevant insights.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And, most importantly, turn those insights into clear action points. Which opportunities will you tap into and who will be involved? How will your user journey maps inform the evolution of your product? What are your next steps?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Customer journey maps in UX: the takeaway<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s a wrap for user journey maps! With a user journey map template and our step-by-step guide, you can easily create your own maps and use them to inspire and inform your product design process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more how-to guides, check out:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/ux-storyboard\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ultimate Guide to Storyboarding in UX<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/user-surveys-for-ux-research\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Design Effective User Surveys for UX Research<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/user-interviews-for-ux-research\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Conduct User Interviews<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section id=\"promotion\" class=\"promotion-content-raw inlinepromo inlinepromo_professional-certificate-in-ui-designp-1 my-4\" style=\"\">\n\t<div class=\"w-container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-12 promotion-info\">\n                <a class=\"link-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/courses\/ui-design?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=blog_panel_text&amp;utm_campaign=blog_promo\" style=\"\">\n                    <p>[GET CERTIFIED IN UI DESIGN]<\/p>\n                    <span>Take our Professional Certificate in UI Design course<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A customer journey map is a visual representation of how a user interacts with your product. Learn how to create a customer journey map in this practical step-by-step guide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":10982,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[273,271],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-guides","category-resources"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8584"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8584\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12663,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8584\/revisions\/12663"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}