Journey Map Skill
Map user experiences and customer lifecycles. Use two modes: User-focused (touchpoints, emotions, pain points) and Business-focused (full lifecycle, revenue metrics, cross-functional).
When to Use This Skill
User Journey Mapping:
- Understanding how users experience your product
- Identifying friction points in user flows
- Designing better onboarding or core experiences
- Aligning team around user perspective
Customer Journey Mapping:
- Planning go-to-market strategy
- Optimizing sales and success processes
- Understanding full customer lifecycle (awareness → retention)
- Cross-functional alignment (marketing, sales, product, support)
Two Modes
Mode 1: User Journey Map
Focus: How users interact with your product Scope: Single feature or product experience Audience: Product, design, engineering teams Duration: Covers minutes to weeks
Mode 2: Customer Journey Map
Focus: How customers move through business relationship Scope: Full lifecycle from awareness to advocacy Audience: GTM teams (marketing, sales, CS) + product Duration: Covers months to years
Workflow
Step 1: Choose Mode
Ask the PM:
Which type of journey map do you need?
1. **User Journey Map**
- Maps: Product experience (onboarding, key workflow, feature usage)
- Focus: Touchpoints, emotions, pain points, opportunities
- Example: "User onboarding journey" or "Checkout flow journey"
2. **Customer Journey Map**
- Maps: Full business relationship (awareness → expansion)
- Focus: Lifecycle stages, revenue metrics, cross-functional handoffs
- Example: "Enterprise customer journey" or "Self-serve PLG journey"
Your choice: [1 or 2]
MODE 1: User Journey Map
Step 2A: Define Journey Scope
Journey Name: [e.g., "New user onboarding"]
User Persona: [Who is this journey for?]
- [Persona name/type]
- [Key characteristics]
- [Goals/motivations]
Journey Goal: [What is the user trying to accomplish?]
- [Primary goal]
Time Span: [How long does this journey take?]
- [Minutes/Hours/Days/Weeks]
Entry Point: [Where does journey start?]
- [Starting point]
Exit Point: [Where does journey end?]
- [Ending point - success state]
Step 3A: Map Journey Phases
Break journey into 3-7 phases:
## Journey Phases
1. **[Phase 1 Name]** (e.g., "Awareness")
- Duration: [Time in this phase]
- User goal: [What they're trying to do]
2. **[Phase 2 Name]** (e.g., "Signup")
- Duration: [Time in this phase]
- User goal: [What they're trying to do]
3. **[Phase 3 Name]** (e.g., "First Use")
- Duration: [Time in this phase]
- User goal: [What they're trying to do]
[Continue for all phases...]
Step 4A: Detail Each Phase
For each phase, document:
### Phase: [Phase Name]
#### Touchpoints
[Every interaction user has with product]
- [Touchpoint 1: e.g., "Landing page"]
- [Touchpoint 2: e.g., "Signup form"]
- [Touchpoint 3: e.g., "Email confirmation"]
#### User Actions
[What user does]
- [Action 1: e.g., "Clicks 'Sign Up'"]
- [Action 2: e.g., "Enters email and password"]
- [Action 3: e.g., "Checks email for confirmation"]
#### User Thoughts
[What they're thinking]
- "[Thought 1: e.g., 'Is this worth my time?']"
- "[Thought 2: e.g., 'Will this be complicated?']"
#### Emotions
[How they feel - use emoji + description]
- 😐 Neutral: [Description]
- 😟 Frustrated: [Description]
- 😊 Satisfied: [Description]
#### Pain Points
🔴 [Critical pain]: [Description]
🟡 [Moderate pain]: [Description]
🟢 [Minor annoyance]: [Description]
#### Opportunities
💡 [Improvement 1]: [What we could do better]
💡 [Improvement 2]: [What we could do better]
#### Metrics
- [Metric 1: e.g., "Conversion rate: 45%"]
- [Metric 2: e.g., "Time to complete: 3.2 minutes"]
Output Format (User Journey Map)
# User Journey Map: [Journey Name]
**Persona:** [User type]
**Goal:** [What they want to accomplish]
**Duration:** [Time span]
---
## Journey Overview
[Entry Point] → [Phase 1] → [Phase 2] → [Phase 3] → ... → [Success State]
---
## Phase 1: [Phase Name]
**Duration:** [Time] | **Goal:** [User objective]
| Element | Details |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **Touchpoints** | [List touchpoints] |
| **Actions** | [User actions] |
| **Thoughts** | [What they think] |
| **Emotions** | 😐 Neutral → 😟 Frustrated |
| **Pains** | 🔴 [Critical pain]<br>🟡 [Moderate pain] |
| **Opportunities** | 💡 [Improvement 1]<br>💡 [Improvement 2] |
| **Metrics** | [Key metrics for this phase] |
---
[Repeat for each phase]
---
## Summary
### Biggest Pain Points
1. 🔴 [Critical pain 1] - In [Phase X]
2. 🔴 [Critical pain 2] - In [Phase Y]
3. 🟡 [Moderate pain 3] - In [Phase Z]
### Top Opportunities
1. 💡 [Opportunity 1] - Would improve [metric/experience]
2. 💡 [Opportunity 2] - Would improve [metric/experience]
3. 💡 [Opportunity 3] - Would improve [metric/experience]
### Emotional Journey
😊 Excited → 😐 Neutral → 😟 Frustrated → 🤔 Confused → 😊 Satisfied [Phase 1] [Phase 2] [Phase 3] [Phase 4] [Phase 5]
### Next Steps
- [ ] [Action 1: e.g., "Simplify signup form"]
- [ ] [Action 2: e.g., "Add progress indicator to onboarding"]
- [ ] [Action 3: e.g., "Reduce time to first value"]
MODE 2: Customer Journey Map
Step 2B: Define Customer Lifecycle
Customer Type: [e.g., "Enterprise B2B customer"]
- [Segment details]
- [Typical company size/industry]
Journey Scope: [Full lifecycle or specific segment?]
- [E.g., "Awareness through first renewal"]
Business Model: [How do customers buy/use product?]
- [Sales-led / Product-led / Hybrid]
- [Contract length: Monthly/Annual/Multi-year]
Revenue Model: [How do we make money?]
- [Subscription / Usage-based / Hybrid]
Step 3B: Map Lifecycle Stages
Typical B2B SaaS stages:
## Lifecycle Stages
1. **Awareness** (Pre-customer)
- How they discover us
2. **Consideration** (Pre-customer)
- Evaluating alternatives
3. **Purchase** (Conversion)
- Becoming a customer
4. **Onboarding** (Early customer)
- Getting set up
5. **Adoption** (Active customer)
- Using product regularly
6. **Expansion** (Growth)
- Upgrading, adding seats/features
7. **Renewal** (Retention)
- Staying vs churning
8. **Advocacy** (Champion)
- Referring others, case studies
Step 4B: Detail Each Stage
For each stage, document:
### Stage: [Stage Name]
#### Timeframe
[How long customers typically spend in this stage]
- Average: [X days/weeks/months]
#### Customer Goals
[What customer wants to achieve]
- [Goal 1]
- [Goal 2]
#### Company Goals
[What we want to achieve]
- [Goal 1: e.g., "Convert 30% to paid"]
- [Goal 2: e.g., "Time to value < 7 days"]
#### Key Touchpoints
[Every interaction customer has with company]
- [Touchpoint 1: e.g., "Website visit"]
- [Touchpoint 2: e.g., "Sales demo"]
- [Touchpoint 3: e.g., "Email nurture sequence"]
#### Responsible Teams
[Who owns this stage]
- Primary: [Team name]
- Supporting: [Other teams]
#### Key Activities
[What happens in this stage]
- [Activity 1]
- [Activity 2]
- [Activity 3]
#### Pain Points
🔴 [Critical friction]: [Description]
🟡 [Moderate friction]: [Description]
#### Success Metrics
- [Metric 1: e.g., "Trial-to-paid conversion: 25%"]
- [Metric 2: e.g., "Time to first value: 5 days"]
#### Revenue Impact
- MRR/ARR contribution: [$ or %]
- Conversion rate: [%]
- Churn risk: [High/Med/Low]
Step 5B: Map Cross-Functional Handoffs
Identify where responsibility transfers:
## Key Handoffs
**Marketing → Sales**
- Trigger: [When leads are qualified]
- Handoff process: [How it happens]
- Common issues: [What breaks]
**Sales → Customer Success**
- Trigger: [When deal closes]
- Handoff process: [How it happe