FOR DAMN GOOD DIGITAL DESIGN
Journey Mapping
PHOENIX DIGITAL SUMMIT 2015 - @REBEKAHCANCINO

Roadtrippin’ with Dad

Quite the journey

Remember these?

Roadside design decisions
UNDERSTANDING THE TRAVELER’S NEEDS

So glamorous

Get your kicks...

All the necessities

Not necessary at all

Context, baby

THINKING
DOINGFEELING
The user’s context
From Daniel Eizans

THINKING
DOINGFEELING
The user’s context
I need an
affordable place
to stay for the
night and a way
for the kids to
release some
energy
Driving for long
periods of time
with two kids in
the back
Carrying a lot of
luggage for the
family
Parents: tired,
hungry
Kids: restless,
hungry

Find motel Park, unpack
kids, lug into
lobby, book
room
Park near
room, unload
kids, bring
luggage
Take kids
swimming
Find food Go to bed
Dear god, no.
Hooray!

Motels vs. hotels: swimming pool, parking nearby
rooms, outside facing doors
Clustering necessities: lodging, food, gas
Roadside attractions with novel flair
Showers, truck washes, auto repair
And so on…
Contextually relevant experiences

Design for context
AND EVERYTHING ELSE WILL FOLLOW

Context

The mobile context?

“I love fiction. Unicorns, UFOs, faith healing, the
Mobile Web, the Mobile Context, psychics.”
- Stephen Hay

CONTEXT ISN’T TIED TO DEVICES

CONTEXT IS TIED TO PEOPLE

Responsive website or native app?
iOS and Android? Windows?
Features?
Gestures?
Wondering where to start?

THINKING
DOINGFEELING
Start with context

What actions are users taking to meet their needs?
What’s the real goal or hidden motivation?
What do they expect?
What are their potential high points and low points?
What devices do they use? For what? When?
Then keep going...

Why map the journey?
BUILD ALIGNMENT, ADD VALUE,
AND MAKE STUFF THAT MATTERS

The world’s first
social streaming media player?

Wasted time and money

Create alignment and a shared understanding of the
users journey, behaviors, and needs
Remove politics and pet projects from product design
Prioritize needs and identify key functionality
Discover opportunities for innovation and delight
The value of journey mapping

Journey maps are strategic tools you can use
to save time and money, add value, and make
experiences that matter.

Understanding context clarifies user needs
so that you can create products that deliver
business results.

Strategic direction: Why are we making this, what
problem are we solving?
Required functionality: What features and functionality
should we offer?
Design decisions: How the product should look, sound,
and feel?
Three kinds of insight

Strategic insight
WHAT PROBLEM ARE WE SOLVING?

Invite two groups of users from each key segment:
they formulate problem statement, you ask smart
questions
Have internal cross-discipline team of stakeholders
help facilitate: build shared understanding, get
alignment on direction
Share ideas with the group: listen for nuances,
patterns, and hidden motivations
Codesign the way forward

Formulate a problem statement

Map the user’s context

Share with group, listen for nuances

Look for patterns

After working with customers to define problem and
map context, we discovered that the planned app
was the wrong solution all together.

Bonus, beyond the journey

Required functionality
WHAT FUNCTIONALITY AND FEATURES
SHOULD WE OFFER?

Journey evidence is everywhere

Mine the data, all the data

Made for in-store experiences

Search
For photos on
your phone while
you’re waiting
47
Select
Choose the
photos you want
to print
Print & pick-up
Your photos are
ready for pick-up
after your waiting
is through

Map the journey

User steps ( their journey)

Features, functionality, content

Critical steps, what’s going well,
what needs improvement

Design decisions
HOW SHOULD IT LOOK, SOUND, AND FEEL?

THINKING
DOINGFEELING
The user’s context
I need a way to
relax, increase my
focus, and be
more intentional
On their phone
trying to focus
their attention,
perhaps in the
mist of a busy
space
Stressed,
overwhelmed,
scattered

Authentic, helpful, and human

It’s been a great year?

Knock to unlock

Super secure, it’s in the details

Get strategic insight. Prioritize features and
functionality. Make good design decisions.
Whether you’re deciding on language, visual design,
features, gestures or anything else in between—
understanding context and mapping the journey
helps you make it better.

Save time and money by getting to the best solution
faster with less rework
Gain and retain customers by providing them with
elegant solutions they need
The value of understanding context
and mapping the journey

@rebekahcancino
rebekahcancino.com
sitewire.com
Happy mapping!