Customer journey maps: what they are and how to make one
A customer journey map is a visual representation of the steps a customer takes to achieve a goal with a business, showing their actions, thoughts, emotions, touchpoints and pain points at each stage. Teams build it from real research, use it to find problems and opportunities, and turn those insights into prioritised improvements.
What a customer journey map is
A customer journey map is a visual story of how a customer experiences a business while trying to achieve a goal. It lays out the stages of the journey, from first becoming aware of a need through choosing, buying, using and possibly recommending a product or service. For each stage, it captures what the customer does, thinks and feels, which touchpoints they use and where they encounter problems.
The value of a journey map lies in its perspective. Organisations are usually structured by department, and each team sees only its part of the experience. Customers experience everything together, including the gaps between departments. A journey map brings that full picture into one place, making it easier to see where the experience breaks down and where improvements would matter most. Our post on seamless user journeys looks at how journeys shape digital products.
Types of journey maps
| Type | Focus | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Current state | How the experience works today | To find existing problems |
| Future state | How the experience should work | To plan improvements and align teams |
| Day in the life | Everything a customer does in a day, beyond your product | To understand wider context and needs |
| Service blueprint | Customer journey plus internal processes and systems | To fix operational causes of problems |
What to include
- Persona: Who the journey is about, based on research.
- Goal: What the customer is trying to achieve.
- Stages: The main phases of the journey.
- Actions: What the customer does at each stage.
- Thoughts and emotions: What they think and how they feel.
- Touchpoints: Website, app, phone, store, email and other channels.
- Pain points: Where they struggle or feel frustrated.
- Opportunities: Ideas for improving each stage.
Base the map on research
The most common mistake is building a journey map from internal assumptions. Maps created in a meeting room often reflect how the organisation thinks the journey works rather than how customers actually experience it. Strong maps draw on research: customer interviews, observation, surveys, analytics, support tickets and feedback from frontline staff. Our guide to user research methods covers the techniques that feed journey maps.
How to make a journey map
- Choose the scope: Select one persona and one goal, such as booking a first appointment.
- Gather research: Collect interviews, analytics, tickets and staff insights.
- Define the stages: List the main phases from start to finish.
- Map actions and touchpoints: Record what customers do and where.
- Add thoughts and emotions: Capture how customers feel at each step, using quotes where possible.
- Mark pain points and opportunities: Highlight problems and possible improvements.
- Validate: Check the map with customers and frontline staff.
- Share and act: Agree priorities, owners and next steps.
Running a journey mapping workshop
Journey maps are most powerful when created together with people from across the organisation, such as marketing, sales, product, operations and support. A workshop where participants review research and build the map together creates shared understanding and ownership. Bring real quotes, video clips and data, and keep the focus on the customer’s experience rather than internal processes.
Common journey mapping mistakes
- Building the map from assumptions instead of research
- Trying to cover every persona and goal in one map
- Focusing on internal processes instead of the customer view
- Leaving out emotions and offline touchpoints
- Creating a map that is never used to drive change
Avoiding these mistakes keeps journey maps grounded, focused and useful. A simple, research-based map that leads to real improvements is far more valuable than a beautiful poster that sits on a wall.
A simple example
| Stage | Customer action | Emotion | Pain point | Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aware | Searches for a clinic nearby | Uncertain | Hard to compare options | Clear service and location pages |
| Consider | Reads reviews and prices | Cautious | Prices not shown | Transparent price ranges |
| Book | Tries to book online | Frustrated | Long form, no times shown | Simple booking with available slots |
| Visit | Attends appointment | Relieved | Long wait at reception | Online check-in |
| Follow up | Receives results | Anxious | Results delayed, no updates | Status updates and portal access |
Turning the map into action
A journey map only creates value when it leads to change. Prioritise pain points by their impact on customers and the business, assign owners and track progress. Some fixes will be quick, such as rewriting confusing messages; others may need process or technology changes. Revisit the map regularly as improvements are made and customer needs evolve. Measuring each stage, as described in our guide to measuring user experience, shows whether changes are working.
Connecting journey maps to digital products
For digital teams, journey maps help decide which features to build, which flows to simplify and where to focus research. They also highlight moments where digital and offline experiences meet, such as moving from a website to a phone call or a physical visit, which are often where problems occur. Connecting data across marketing, sales and support, as our RevOps team does, makes it easier to measure journeys end to end.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a journey map and a user flow?
A journey map covers the whole experience, including emotions and offline steps. A user flow focuses on the specific steps and screens within a product.
How many journey maps do we need?
Start with one for your most important persona and goal, then add more as needed.
How often should journey maps be updated?
Review them at least yearly, or after significant changes to products, services or customer needs.
Can journey maps be done without research?
You can draft one from internal knowledge, but treat it as a hypothesis to validate with real customers.