Journey map Add/remove

Purpose:

The purpose is to map out a persona’s journey by narrowing it down to single steps. By creating a journey map one can analyze the experience of different personas along every step of the journey. Once the steps of the journey have been completed, the steps are categorized to gain an overview of a given situation and emotional stages are added.

Step by step Facilitating tips Materials needed Download template (pdf)

Tips to include participants who are not able to:

See

If participants are unable to see, make sure to have a partner that can do the writing, and verbally let the participant with the limited sight know what the other participants are writing down, as well as how the journey map is forming. Make sure to present the steps in detail.

Try to frame a situation that does not require many steps. The more steps the participant has to memorise the more complex it gets.

Think

If participants have a hard time grasping the task, the facilitators could break down the method by starting a group discussion about user journey in question, possibly through a brainstorm. After this is done, the participants might be able to make a simple journey map.

Move

If participants can not control movements, team up with a partner to spar with that can do the writing and placement of post-its. This could be a helper, documenter, facilitator or other group members. The participants should though still explain their own input to not feel excluded.

Hold

If participants can not hold, team up with a partner to spar with that can do the writing and placement of post-its. This could be a helper, documenter, facilitator or other group members. The participants should though still explain their own input to not feel excluded.

Speak

If participants are unable to speak, sign language or other symbol language could be used if an interpreter is present. Otherwise make sure all input and ideas have a written explanation.

Drawing ones ideas for the journey to further enhance communication is also possible.

Hear

If participants are unable to hear, sign language or other symbol language could be used if an interpreter is present. Otherwise make sure all input and ideas have a written explanation.

Drawing ones ideas for the journey to further enhance communication is also possible.

Focus

If the ability to focus is limited because of time crunch, shorten down the time spent on brainstorming. If the ability is limited because of distractions, make sure facilitators keep a calm and attentive attitude, and prolong time for brainstorming.

Belong

If the brainstorming is from the perspective of a persona that resembles a participant, don't let them be pointed out as that can make a person uncomfortable. Make sure the group is fairly diverse and representative.

Emote

If participants have a hard time relating to the persona, try to awake empathy by letting others go first to gain inspiration or adding time for research on the personas in question. Be sensitive towards different needs and ensure a safe environment.

Touch

If participants can not touch, team up with a partner to spar with that can do the writing and placement of post-its. This could be a helper, documenter, facilitator or other group members. The participants should though still explain their own input to not feel excluded.

Input

Persona, interview or some sort of communication with the user should have been made prior to this method.

Output

Visual representation that provides a deeper understanding of the persona and detailed insight of each step performed by the persona in a given situation.

Complexity

Moderate - complex

Time

35 minutes - Depends on the amount of personas given to each group.

Participants

Activity

Put yourself in the personas place
Relate to the situation
Reflect on steps within the situation
Write/read
Fill out template

Step by step:

Hand out templates for your participants as well as pens, post-its and personas.
Divide the participants in groups of 2 and explain the method by showing an example that differentiates from the scope of the workshop to ensure that the participants are not primed.
Make sure that the participants have understood the method.
Provide a persona for each group (could be the same or different personas). Ask the participants to discuss the persona.
Give each group a situation that the persona has to go through (could be the same situation or different situations).
Ask the groups to fill out the template by writing the personas’ steps in the given situation on the template. The steps are noted on post-its, one step pr. post-it.
Ask the groups to generate categories for the steps.
Ask the groups to link emotions on post-its to the different steps. Include who the persona interacts with and their potential emotions/frustrations.
Ask the groups to present their personas journey.

When doing this method you should consider:

If possible invite personas to the workshop and let the participants engage with the persona before filling out the template.

If the abilities of the participants allows it, ask them to perform the journey map by using wall space. Ask them to stick the template to the wall instead of sitting around a table.

Since there are multiple steps it can be a good idea as a facilitator to only tell one step at a time. This ensures that the participants do not get confused about which step they are at and it eliminates the risk of them mixing the steps or skipping one of the steps.

If you for instance only have 4 participants which makes up for two groups, each group could get multiple personas to create a journey from. If you have many participants each group could get one persona that differentiates from the other group’s persona. It all depends on the amount of time there is, number of participants and the amount of data wished to be generated.

If the persona resembles a participant, do not let the participant be pointed out as it can make him/her uncomfortable.

Materials needed:

Template
Post-its
Pens
Space

Universal Design Guide