User journey mapping: A guide to creating effective maps (+examples)

A user journey map exposes the good, the bad, and the ugly of your customer experience. Most businesses think they know their customers, but they often don't. And in 2024, with AI-powered competitors popping up left and right, you can't afford to lose customers due to a bad experience. In this article, you'll get in-depth journey map explanations, examples, and illustrations to help you maximize your conversion rates.

What's a user journey map exactly?

Although it sounds similar to a simple sales funnel, a user journey map is quite different. It's a tool for understanding how people interact with your brand from first click to purchase.

Here's what a user journey map tracks:

• How people find your brand
• What they do once they land on your site
• Their feelings throughout the journey (e.g., confused, excited, or angry)
• What finally convinces them to sign up or pay
• Roadblocks they face when using or buying your service

» Book a consultation to start tracking and optimizing user journeys across your site.

Types of user journey maps

These are variations you can mix and match depending on your industry, product, and/or service. Just ensure whichever one you use is meaningful and doesn't go beyond the scope of your map (more on that in a bit).

• Experience maps: Focused on general user experience.
• Day-in-the-life maps: Show users' daily behaviors and how a product may help them achieve their goals.
• Current-state maps: Identifies how the user interacts with the product at each stage in the process.
• Future state maps: These should describe how you want customers to use your product and how you can help them easily interact with it. A user journey map designed for a future state as part of a product design or redesign process does not reflect the current state.
• Empathy maps: Focused on the user's emotions when using your product.
• Service blueprint: Focused on the business and its perspective.

Components of a user journey map

1. Detailed user profile

Depending on your industry, a detailed user profile (or buyer persona) typically includes:

This may seem like a lot to digest, but you can focus on the elements most relevant to you.

» Talk to an expert to learn more about creating detailed personas.

2. Different stages of the user journey

User journey stages are the big-picture phases your customers go through, from "Who are you?" to "I can't live without this product."

Here's what user journey stages typically look like from a user's perspective:

1. Awareness: "Oh, this exists?"
2. Interest: "Hmm, tell me more..."
3. Desire: "I need this!"
4. Action: "I just bought it!"
5. Post-purchase: "Did I make the right choice?"

Some may think journey maps only apply to website navigation, but they can also map the entire content experience across multiple channels.

» Learn how to create content for every stage of the user journey.

3. Scenarios and sequences users must follow to accomplish a goal

While "stages" give you the big picture, "scenarios and sequences" zoom in on the specific paths users take to complete a specific objective. It helps in understanding the nuances of user behavior and identifying specific pain points or opportunities for improvement.

Not all users follow the same tidy path to buying your product. Your job is to map out these messy, real-world scenarios. It's like watching a time-lapse of someone trying to assemble IKEA furniture—sometimes hilarious, often frustrating, but always revealing.

» Optimize different user journeys on your site with Entail's CRO software.

4. Users' actions, mindsets, and emotions at each stage

Journey maps should also consider the mindsets, pain points, and actions of your target audience or current users at each stage. "User clicked button A, then navigated to page B." Great, but why? And how did they feel about it?

Let's break down what you should track:

• Actions: What are users actually doing? Are they clicking, scrolling, or bouncing? Each action is a breadcrumb leading you to conversion or abandonment.
• Mindsets: What's going on in their heads? Are they comparison shopping? Desperately seeking a solution? Just killing time during their lunch break?
• Emotions: Are they frustrated? Excited? Confused?

5. Opportunities for user journey optimization

We've already covered user journey optimization in-depth in another blog, so I'll keep it brief here. Optimization opportunities are the goldmine of insights you gain from your analytics and user feedback. They tell you exactly where to improve your user journey map and even how to optimize your conversion funnel.

How to create a customer journey map

1. Set goals for the map

What's your end goal? Are you trying to boost sales, increase engagement, or reduce churn? Your goal will dictate everything from where your journey starts to what metrics you track.

Remember, the scope should align with your specific targets for the journey map. An overly broad scope might lack actionable insights, while a narrow focus could miss essential parts of the user experience.

Define the starting point:

• First awareness of a need
• Initial exposure to your brand
• Beginning of a specific process

Example: For a fitness app, the user journey might start when a person decides they want to get in shape.

Determine the endpoint:

• Purchase completion
• Onboarding finished
• Achieving a specific goal
• Becoming a repeat customer

Example: The endpoint for a B2B software company could be when a client renews their annual subscription.

Choose the type of journey:

• End-to-end experience
• Specific segment of the overall journey
• Single touchpoint deep-dive

Example: An e-commerce site might focus on the checkout process, from adding items to the cart to payment confirmation.

Decide on channels to include:

• Website only
• Omnichannel (website, mobile app, in-store, phone support)
• Social media

Example: A bank might map the journey across online banking, mobile apps, ATM usage, and in-branch visits.

Set the timeframe:

• A single session
• Days or weeks
• Months or years for longer sales cycles

Example: A real estate agency might map a journey lasting several months, from a user's first property search to closing on a home.

Consider user segments:

• New vs. returning customers
• Different buyer personas
• Various product/service lines

Example: A streaming service like Netflix might create separate journey maps for first-time subscribers vs. long-term users considering cancellation.

Start with the end in mind, but map the reality. Define your scope, set your goals, and then map what's actually happening. Only then can you start to optimize and improve.

» Need help defining your marketing goals? Chat with an expert.

2. Highlight your target customer personas

You need to know exactly who you're mapping for and what you're trying to achieve. Your users aren't cookie-cutter replicas of each other. Some might hop-skip-jump through your funnel, while others might easily get lost. It's not rocket science, but you'd be surprised how many marketers miss this.

Here's how to do it right:

• Dive deep: Don't just scratch the surface. What keeps them up at night? The more you know, the better you can connect.
• Listen to their language: Create a list of words and phrases your users actually use. If you're saying "utilize" and they're saying "use," you're already losing them.
• Understand their journey: Different personas might take different paths. Some might read every blog post you've ever written; others might go straight for the "Buy Now" button.
• Identify pain points: What frustrates them? What problems are they trying to solve? Your product should be the aspirin for their headache.

Tip: Create at least two distinct personas and use them to tailor your copy, user experience (UX), and content strategy for each.

3. Understand your customers and their goals

Don't assume you know what your users are doing. Instead, rely on data, data, and more data. For example, analytics, user feedback, and support tickets—if they tell you something about your users' behavior, they belong on your map.

Your users likely have their own ideas about what your product or service should be, and they probably don't align with your boardroom brainstorms.

For instance, you could assume: "Our users must love feature X because we spent a fortune on it." However, your users might hate feature X and use your product for a different purpose.

For example, Spotify spent over $1 billion on increasing its podcast library to attract more listeners. However, this investment backfired because they didn't truly understand their users' listening habits and preferences.

Here's how to understand your users:

• Customer feedback: Avoid the glowing 5-star reviews. Dig into the 2-to 3-star reviews. That's where helpful feedback comes from.
• Questionnaires: Survey your target audience and get information straight from the source.
• User testing: Watch real people use your product. You might notice a new opportunity or pain point.
• Immersion: Dive into your users' world by digesting books, forums, YouTube videos, and podcasts in their niche.
• Workshops: Get a sample of your audience in a room. But come prepared. Ask dumb questions, and you'll lose their trust.

» Map your customer journey conversion funnel to maximize ROI.

4. List out all touchpoints according to stages and sequences

A "touchpoint" is any interaction between your brand and a user. This may sound straightforward, but touchpoints are more complex than ever, with omnichannel experiences being the norm. I'm talking about social media, paid ads, email marketing, your website, customer service chats, and even billboards. Essentially, if a user can see or click it, it's a touchpoint.

Here are a few factors to keep in mind when listing your touchpoints:

• Specificity: "User buys product" isn't enough. "User sees an Instagram ad, clicks through to the website, reads three blog posts, signs up for the newsletter, gets a 10% off coupon, then finally buys a product" is a useful sequence of touchpoints.
• Variability: Not all users are created equal. Some might go from awareness to purchase faster than you can say "impulse buy," while others might need more guidance.
• Context: These sequences don't happen in a vacuum. They're influenced by various user motivations and external factors.
• Nonlinear: Users don't always follow your perfectly planned sales funnel. They might jump stages, backtrack, or take a detour through your competitor's website.

Now, here's where most people screw up: they create content for one stage (usually the bottom of the funnel) and call it a day. But you really need to be hitting all these stages with laser-focused content that converts.

» Target every stage by creating content for the SEO conversion funnel.

5. Determine the resources you have and the ones you'll need

Assessing whether you have the right resources to create and implement a user journey map effectively involves evaluating several vital areas. Here's a breakdown to help you determine if you're well-equipped:

6. Test and take the customer journey yourself

Knowing how something works doesn't mean you know how it feels to use it. You need to walk a mile in your users' shoes. You should experience the entire journey, from the first click to the final purchase and every moment in between.

So, how do you do this right?

• Go undercover: Create a fake account or use an incognito browser. Pretend you're a complete newbie.
• Document everything: Every click, every confused moment, and every time you want to stop.
• Time it: How long does it take to complete simple tasks?
• Test on different devices: Your site might look great on your $2000 MacBook Pro, but how does it look on a 5-year-old Android phone?
• Try to break it: Don't just follow the beaten path. Try weird things. Click everywhere. Be the user from hell.

Get your team involved as well. I'm not just talking about the UX designers. I mean everyone—from the intern to the CEO. Why? Because fresh eyes spot things you've become blind to.

» Get perfect on-page SEO with Entail's no-code page builder.

7. Analyze your results

Okay, you've got your user journey map and started putting it to the test. See if you're getting better conversions or customer retention. Are there fewer abandoned carts or more daily active users because you streamlined the user journey based on your map's insights?

Here are a few of the most impactful user journey metrics to monitor:

• Conversion rates at different stages
• Customer acquisition cost
• Customer lifetime value
• Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Customer satisfaction scores
• Time to purchase
• Cart abandonment rate
• Engagement metrics (e.g., time on site, pages per session)
• Retention rates
• Churn rate

If you get good results, fantastic! But don't stop there. A user journey map is just a hypothesis—an educated guess if you will. And like any good scientist, you must test and refine your hypothesis.

» Learn how to track your SEO conversion rate.

8. Update your map over time

Your user journey map isn't a "set it and forget it" kind of thing. It's a living, breathing document you should update regularly by using:

• Data: Analytics, user feedback, SEO A/B tests—if it gives you insights, use it.
• Create separate maps for different user groups: Gen Z users likely aren't taking the same journey as your Gen X ones.
• Regular check-ups: Set a schedule for reviewing and updating your map. Monthly, quarterly—whatever works, as long as it's regular.

User journey map examples

Current-state B2C user journey map example



Source

This map by Nielsen Norman Group follows Emotional Eric through five user journey stages: consider, explore, compare, test, and negotiate. It details his actions, emotions, and thoughts at each step. This granular breakdown helps to highlight specific opportunities for improvement.

Experience user journey map example



Source

Spotify's comprehensive user journey map tracks a user's music-sharing experience. It captures the various stages of the user journey and outlines the steps, thoughts, emotions, touchpoints, and actors involved.

According to Meghana Bowen, a UX designer on the project, this map helped provide insights on how to "effectively incorporate elements into the sharing process, what encourages users to share more music, and how we can increase the share functionality's visibility."

Current-state B2B user journey map example



Source

Bright Vessel's journey map outlines the stages users may go through when searching for an app developer for their business. It includes typical questions, emotions, and actions needed at each stage to guide the user toward the successful completion of their goal. This map can help businesses identify areas where they can better support the user journey and facilitate a smoother and more confident decision-making process.

Tune in to your audience with user journey mapping

Leverage your user journey maps to identify any pain points, smooth out the bumps, and watch your conversion rates soar. Because at the end of the day, understanding your users' journeys isn't just nice to have—it's the difference between thriving and dying.

If you're in a small niche and want to create a user journey map, it might be unchartered territory and involve a lot of guesswork. But at Entail, we don't need guesswork. Let our CRO software optimize your user journey.