SUMMARY
Purpose: Customer Journey Mapping is a visual tool that helps teams understand how users experience a product or service across touchpoints over time.
Design Thinking Phase: Empathise
Time: 45â60 min session + 1â2 hours analysis
Difficulty: ââ
When to use:When aligning cross-functional teams on user pain points early in discoveryWhen optimising existing flows based on research insightsWhen designing new services with multiple touchpoints or channels
What it is
Customer Journey Mapping (also known as Experience Mapping) is a UX methodology that visualises the entire path a user takes when interacting with a product or service. It includes actions, thoughts, emotions, channels, and pain points at every step â enabling teams to design more coherent and meaningful experiences.
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Why it matters
Designers often see moments in a flow â but users live through entire journeys. Without mapping those journeys, it's easy to miss key frustrations, drop-offs, or unmet needs that occur across silos or time. Journey maps help teams break out of internal structures and see the product through the userâs lens. When done well, they drive alignment, prioritise features more meaningfully, and enable consistent end-to-end experiences.
When to use
- When you have foundational research but want to synthesise insights at a service level
- When multiple teams touch different parts of the user experience and need to align
- When preparing for a Service Blueprint or UX redesign
Benefits
- Rich Insights: Helps uncover user needs that arenât visible in metrics.
- Flexibility: Works across various project types and timelines.
- User Empathy: Deepens understanding of behaviours and motivations.
How to use it
- Define the scope: Choose a specific persona and goal (e.g. âBooking a consult as a first-time home buyerâ).
- Map journey stages: Identify broad steps in the path (e.g. awareness, consideration, action).
- Add user actions, emotions, and touchpoints: Use research to fill in real behaviours and perceptions.
- Highlight pain points and drop-offs: Mark where users feel confusion, frustration, or blockers.
- Discuss with your team: Align on opportunities, moments of delight, and service gaps.
- Export, share, and link to strategic artefacts like blueprints or roadmaps.
Example Output
A simplified customer journey map for a fictional fintech product:
| Stage | Action | Emotion | Touchpoint | Pain Point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Searches for budgeting tools | Curious, cautious | Google, app store | Confused by inconsistent reviews |
| Onboarding | Downloads and sets up profile | Hopeful, slightly overwhelmed | App interface | Too many options upfront |
| Usage | Adds first few expenses | Energised | Mobile, email | Delayed sync with bank account |
| Retention | Checks weekly emails | Informed, motivated | Push notifications, email | Lacks personalisation |
Common Pitfalls
- Skimming research: A map is only as good as the data behind it. Ground your work in real user quotes and observed behaviour.
- Too generic: Avoid mapping with âaverageâ users. Focus on one persona or situation per map to make it actionable.
- Not shared: Journey maps stuck in private decks wonât drive impact. Schedule a readout session and link maps to roadmap decisions.
10 Design-Ready AI Prompts for Customer Journey Mapping â UX/UI Edition
How These Prompts Work (C.S.I.R. Framework)
Each of the templates below follows the C.S.I.R. method â a proven structure for writing clear, effective prompts that get better results from ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or any other LLM.
C.S.I.R. stands for:
- Context: Who you are and the UX situation you're working in
- Specific Info: Key design inputs, tasks, or constraints the AI should consider
- Intent: What you want the AI to help you achieve
- Response Format: The structure or format you want the AI to return (e.g. checklist, table, journey map)
Level up your career with smarter AI prompts.Get templates used by UX leaders â no guesswork, just results.Design faster, research smarter, and ship with confidence.First oneâs free. Unlock all 10 by becoming a member.
Prompt Template 1: âMap a User Journey for a First-Time Feature Experienceâ
Map a User Journey for a First-Time Feature Experience
Context: You are a UX designer exploring how new users interact with a recently launched feature in a productivity app.
Specific Info: The feature includes a multi-step setup, optional integrations, and shows varying completion rates across use cases.
Intent: Identify key friction points and emotional touchpoints to inform design improvements.
Response Format: Structure the output as a table with columns: Step, Action, Thought, Emotion, Barrier, Suggestion.
If any flow step or use context is unclear, ask clarifying questions.
Then, suggest one idea to validate assumptions with real users.
