A customer journey map shows the complete path someone takes—from first hearing about your product to becoming a power user (or abandoning it). It reveals friction you can’t see when you only look at individual screens.
Let me show you how to map journeys that actually improve your product.
What Journey Mapping Actually Reveals
Journey maps aren’t pretty diagrams you hang on the wall. They’re diagnostic tools that expose problems.
A good journey map shows you:
Where users get stuck Not “they abandon on page 3” but “they lose confidence when they can’t find their previous work.”
What they’re thinking and feeling Not “they click here” but “they’re anxious they’ll lose their progress if they click the wrong thing.”
Gaps between touchpoints Not “the checkout works” but “they research on mobile, then abandon because starting over on desktop is too frustrating.”
The invisible work Not “they sign up” but “they spend 20 minutes trying to remember which email they used for their other apps.”
The Big Picture vs. Small Picture
There are two ways to look at customer journeys. You need both.
The Big Picture: End-to-End Experience
This is the entire relationship someone has with your product:
Awareness → Consideration → First Use → Regular Use → Advocacy (or Abandonment)
Big picture mapping reveals strategic problems: • Are we solving the wrong problem? • Do we lose people before they see value? • What makes people stay vs. leave? • Where should we invest effort?
I use big picture maps when I need to understand business-level questions. Like “Why do people sign up but never return?”
The Small Picture: Micro-Moments
This is zooming into a specific task or flow:
Finding a product → Adding to cart → Entering payment → Confirming order
Small picture mapping reveals tactical problems: • Where exactly do people hesitate? • What causes them to second-guess themselves? • Which steps create unnecessary friction? • What information is missing?
I use small picture maps when I need to fix specific experiences. Like “Why do people abandon checkout at the payment step?”
You need both perspectives. Big picture for strategy. Small picture for execution.
How to Map a Journey: The Framework
Here’s the process I use for every journey map:
Step 1: Define the journey boundaries
Pick a specific starting point and end point.
Bad: “Using our app” Good: “From searching for a solution to completing their first project”
Be specific. You can’t map everything at once.
Step 2: Identify the major stages
Break the journey into 4-7 major phases.
Example for job search app: • Realizing they need a new job • Researching what jobs exist • Preparing application materials • Applying to positions • Tracking applications • Preparing for interviews
These are the big moments in the journey.
Step 3: Map actions at each stage
What are they actually doing?
Not “using our app” but: • Googling “how to write resume” • Asking friends for advice • Opening our app, looking around, closing it • Coming back three days later • Creating account • Abandoning halfway through profile
Be specific about real behavior.
Step 4: Capture thoughts and emotions
What are they thinking? How are they feeling?
Stage: Creating profile Actions: Filling out work history Thoughts: “Do I need to list every job? This feels overwhelming.” Emotions: Anxiety, uncertainty, slight frustration
This is where the real insights emerge.
Step 5: Identify pain points and opportunities
Where are they struggling? Where could we help?
Pain point: Unsure how much detail to include Opportunity: Show examples of good profiles, suggest auto-fill from LinkedIn
Every pain point is a design opportunity.
Step 6: Note touchpoints
What are they interacting with?
Not just your product. Everything: • Google search • Friend’s recommendation • Your landing page • Email confirmation • The actual app • Support documentation • Competitor’s app (for comparison)
Users don’t experience your product in isolation.
Real Example: EdTech Onboarding Journey
Let me show you an actual journey I mapped:
Journey: From course discovery to first lesson completion
Stage 1: Discovery Actions: Browsing course catalog, reading descriptions, checking reviews Thoughts: “Is this worth my time? Will I actually finish it?” Emotions: Hopeful but skeptical, cautious about commitment Pain Point: Can’t tell how long it actually takes, unclear what they’ll be able to do after Opportunity: Show realistic time commitment, show what past students built
Stage 2: Enrollment Decision Actions: Comparing to other courses, checking price, reading FAQ Thoughts: “What if I don’t have time? What if I’m not smart enough?” Emotions: Excitement mixed with impostor syndrome Pain Point: Fear of wasting money, unsure if they have prerequisites Opportunity: Show money-back guarantee, clear prerequisite check, student success stories
Stage 3: First Login Actions: Creating account, seeing course dashboard, exploring interface Thoughts: “Where do I start? What if I click the wrong thing?” Emotions: Slight overwhelm, uncertainty Pain Point: Too many options visible, unclear recommended path Opportunity: Clear “Start here” path, hide advanced features initially
Stage 4: First Lesson Attempt Actions: Opening first lesson, reading instructions, trying first exercise Thoughts: “Am I doing this right? Is this what they wanted?” Emotions: Engaged but anxious about doing it “correctly” Pain Point: No feedback until end, unsure if on right track Opportunity: Progressive feedback, show examples of what “good enough” looks like
Stage 5: Completion (or Abandonment) Actions: Either finishing and feeling accomplished, or closing tab Thoughts: Success: “I did it!” Abandonment: “I’ll come back later” (never does) Emotions: Success: Pride, confidence. Abandonment: Guilt, relief Pain Point: If they leave, no reason to return. If they succeed, no momentum to continue. Opportunity: Celebrate completion clearly, create curiosity for next lesson, send reminder if they abandon
Notice what this revealed: The UI wasn’t the problem. The problem was emotional—fear, uncertainty, anxiety about doing it wrong.
We redesigned the onboarding to address emotions, not just information. Completion rates tripled.
Common Journey Mapping Mistakes
I see these mistakes constantly:
Mistake 1: Mapping what you want to happen, not what actually happens
You map the ideal journey. Users take a completely different path.
Map reality, not aspiration. Watch real users. Follow actual data.
Mistake 2: Only mapping your product
Users interact with competitors, Google, friends, social media. If you only map your touchpoints, you miss the context.
Mistake 3: Focusing on actions, ignoring emotions
“They click here, then here, then here” tells you nothing about why they abandon.
Emotions drive behavior. Map feelings, not just clicks.
Mistake 4: Making it too pretty
Journey maps aren’t art projects. If you spent more time choosing colors than talking to users, you did it wrong.
Ugly maps with real insights beat beautiful maps with assumptions.
Mistake 5: Making it once and never updating
User behavior changes. Your product changes. Markets change.
Journey maps are living documents. Update them when you learn new things.
What to Do with Your Journey Map
A journey map isn’t the deliverable. It’s the input for decisions.
Use it to prioritize fixes
Which pain points affect the most users? Which block the most value? Fix those first.
Use it to generate ideas
Every pain point is a design opportunity. Every emotion suggests an intervention.
Use it to align your team
When everyone sees the same journey, debates about features become easier. “Does this address the anxiety at stage 3?”
Use it to measure progress
After changes, remap. Did the pain point improve? Did emotions shift?
Journey maps without action are decoration. Journey maps that drive decisions are invaluable.
Starting Your First Journey Map
Don’t overthink it. Start simple:
- Pick one specific journey (e.g., “First-time user completes onboarding”)
- Talk to 5 users who recently completed (or abandoned) that journey
- Map 4-6 stages from their perspective, not yours
- For each stage, capture: • What they did • What they thought • How they felt • Where they struggled
- Identify top 3 pain points based on frequency and impact
- Design one improvement for the biggest pain point
- Test and remeasure
Your first journey map will be rough. That’s fine. You’ll refine it as you learn more.
The goal isn’t a perfect map. The goal is understanding your users’ experience well enough to improve it.
And that starts with seeing beyond individual screens to the complete journey they’re on.
Don’t Forget These Key Points
- Journey maps show complete experiences, not just screens—understand the full path users take, including context outside your product
- Map both big picture (strategic) and small picture (tactical)—you need end-to-end perspective and detailed task flows •
- Emotions drive behavior more than features—capture what users think and feel, not just what they click
- Every pain point is a design opportunity—use journey maps to prioritize what to fix first
- Map reality from research, not ideal scenarios—talk to real users about actual experiences, not what you hope happens