Customer Journey Mapping Workshop

1---2name: customer-journey-mapping-workshop3description: Run a customer journey mapping workshop with adaptive questions and outputs. Use when you need to map stages, actions, emotions, pain points, and opportunities for a persona and scenario.4intent: >-5  Guide product managers through creating a customer journey map by asking adaptive questions about the actor (persona), scenario/goal, journey phases, actions/emotions, and opportunities for improvement. Use this to visualize the end-to-end customer experience, identify pain points, and create a shared mental model across teams—avoiding surface-level feature lists and ensuring discovery work focuses on real customer problems, not assumed solutions.6type: interactive7best_for:8  - "Running a workshop to map an end-to-end customer experience"9  - "Finding pain points across a user's journey"10  - "Aligning teams on the stages, emotions, and breakdowns in an experience"11scenarios:12  - "Help me run a journey mapping workshop for new customer onboarding"13  - "Map the experience of a buyer from trial signup to first value"14  - "Facilitate a workshop on the support journey for churn-risk customers"15---16 17 18## Purpose19Guide product managers through creating a customer journey map by asking adaptive questions about the actor (persona), scenario/goal, journey phases, actions/emotions, and opportunities for improvement. Use this to visualize the end-to-end customer experience, identify pain points, and create a shared mental model across teams—avoiding surface-level feature lists and ensuring discovery work focuses on real customer problems, not assumed solutions.20 21This is not a feature roadmap—it's a discovery and alignment tool that uncovers where the experience breaks down and where improvements will have the greatest impact.22 23## Key Concepts24 25### What is a Customer Journey Map?26 27A journey map (NNGroup) visualizes "the process that a person goes through in order to accomplish a goal." It compiles user actions into a timeline, enriched with thoughts and emotions to create a narrative, then condenses and polishes into a visual artifact.28 29### Five Key Components (NNGroup Framework)30 311. **Actor** — A specific persona or user whose perspective anchors the map322. **Scenario + Expectations** — The situational context and associated goals333. **Journey Phases** — High-level stages organizing the experience (e.g., discover, try, buy, use, seek support)344. **Actions, Mindsets, and Emotions** — User behaviors, thoughts, and emotional responses throughout phases355. **Opportunities** — Insights identifying where experience can improve36 37### Journey Map Structure38 39```40Actor: [Persona Name]41Scenario: [Goal/Context]42 43Phase 1: Discover → Phase 2: Try → Phase 3: Buy → Phase 4: Use → Phase 5: Support44   ↓                  ↓                ↓               ↓               ↓45Actions:           Actions:         Actions:        Actions:        Actions:46Thoughts:          Thoughts:        Thoughts:       Thoughts:       Thoughts:47Emotions: 😊😐😞    Emotions:        Emotions:       Emotions:       Emotions:48   ↓                  ↓                ↓               ↓               ↓49Opportunities:     Opportunities:   Opportunities:  Opportunities:  Opportunities:50```51 52### Why This Works53- **Forces conversation:** Teams align on shared understanding of customer experience54- **Reveals pain points:** Emotions + actions highlight where experience breaks down55- **Prioritizes improvements:** Opportunities ranked by impact guide roadmap decisions56- **Human-centered:** Focuses on customer perspective, not internal processes57 58### Anti-Patterns (What This Is NOT)59- **Not a service blueprint:** Journey maps focus on customer perspective; service blueprints map internal operations60- **Not a user story map:** Journey maps support discovery; user story maps facilitate implementation planning61- **Not an experience map:** Journey maps target specific users and products; experience maps explore broader human behaviors62 63### When to Use This64- Starting customer discovery (understanding current experience)65- Identifying pain points for retention/engagement initiatives66- Aligning cross-functional teams on customer perspective67- Prioritizing which problems to solve first68 69### When NOT to Use This70- When you already understand the customer journey deeply71- For technical refactoring (no customer-facing journey)72- As a substitute for user research (maps require research input)73 74---75 76### Facilitation Source of Truth77 78Use [`workshop-facilitation`](../workshop-facilitation/SKILL.md) as the default interaction protocol for this skill.79 80It defines:81- session heads-up + entry mode (Guided, Context dump, Best guess)82- one-question turns with plain-language prompts83- progress labels (for example, Context Qx/8 and Scoring Qx/5)84- interruption handling and pause/resume behavior85- numbered recommendations at decision points86- quick-select numbered response options for regular questions (include `Other (specify)` when useful)87 88This file defines the domain-specific assessment content. If there is a conflict, follow this file's domain logic.89 90## Application91 92This interactive skill asks **up to 5 adaptive questions**, offering **3-4 enumerated options** at each step.93 94Interaction pattern: Pair with `skills/workshop-facilitation/SKILL.md` when you want a one-step-at-a-time flow with numbered recommendations at decision points and quick-select options for regular questions. If the user asks for a single-shot output, skip the multi-turn facilitation.95 96---97 98### Step 0: Gather Context (Before Questions)99 100**Agent suggests:**101 102Before we create your journey map, let's gather context:103 104**Customer Research:**105- User interviews, discovery notes, support tickets106- Churn reasons, exit surveys, NPS feedback107- Analytics data (drop-off points, feature usage)108- Personas or proto-personas109 110**Product Context:**111- Website copy, product descriptions, positioning112- Competitor journey maps or reviews (G2, Capterra)113- Existing journey documentation (if any)114 115**You can paste this content directly, or describe the customer experience briefly.**116 117---118 119### Question 1: Identify Actor (Persona)120 121**Agent asks:**122"Who is the actor for this journey map? (Which persona or user segment?)"123 124**Offer 4 enumerated options:**125 1261. **Primary persona** — "Your main target customer (e.g., 'small business owner')" (Most common starting point)1272. **Secondary persona** — "A secondary user segment with different needs (e.g., 'enterprise admin' vs. 'end user')" (Use if primary persona already mapped)1283. **High-churn persona** — "User segment with highest churn rate (e.g., 'trial users who don't convert')" (Good for retention initiatives)1294. **Newly discovered persona** — "Emerging user segment from recent research (e.g., 'remote teams' post-COVID)" (Good for market expansion)130 131**Or describe your specific persona.**132 133**Adaptation:** Use personas from context (proto-personas, JTBD research, etc.)134 135**User response:** [Selection or custom]136 137---138 139### Question 2: Define Scenario + Goal140 141**Agent asks:**142"What's the scenario and goal for this journey? (What is the actor trying to accomplish?)"143 144**Offer 4 enumerated options:**145 1461. **First-time use** — "New user onboarding, from discovery to activation" (Common for SaaS, apps)1472. **Core workflow** — "Recurring task the user does regularly (e.g., 'create invoice,' 'run report')" (Common for established products)1483. **Problem resolution** — "User encounters issue and seeks help (e.g., 'forgot password,' 'billing question')" (Good for support/retention)1494. **Upgrade/expansion** — "Free user considering paid plan, or existing customer expanding usage" (Good for growth initiatives)150 151**Or describe your specific scenario.**152 153**User response:** [Selection or custom]154 155**Agent extracts:**156- **Actor:** [Persona from Q1]157- **Scenario:** [Context from Q2]158- **Goal:** [What actor is trying to accomplish]159 160---161 162### Question 3: Identify Journey Phases163 164**Agent says:**165"Let's break the journey into high-level phases (typically 4-6 phases from start to end)."166 167**Agent generates 4-6 journey phases** based on scenario (Q2).168 169**Example (if Scenario = "First-time use"):**170 171```172Journey Phases (left to right):173 1741. Discover — User learns about product1752. Evaluate — User researches, compares alternatives1763. Try — User signs up, starts onboarding1774. Activate — User reaches "aha moment," experiences value1785. Use — User integrates product into workflow1796. Expand — User considers upgrading or inviting team180```181 182**Agent asks:**183"Do these phases capture the full journey? Should we add, remove, or rename phases?"184 185**User response:** [Approve or modify]186 187---188 189### Question 4: Map Actions, Thoughts, Emotions per Phase190 191**Agent says:**192"Now let's map what the actor does, thinks, and feels in each phase."193 194**Agent generates 3-5 actions, thoughts, and emotions per phase** based on context (Step 0) and scenario (Q2).195 196**Example (for Phase 3: "Try — User signs up, starts onboarding"):**197 198```199Phase 3: Try (Onboarding)200 201Actions:202- Signs up with email203- Receives welcome email204- Logs in for the first time205- Sees empty dashboard206- Searches for "getting started" guide207 208Thoughts:209- "This looks promising, but I'm not sure where to start"210- "Do I need to watch a tutorial video?"211- "What's the first step?"212 213Emotions:214- Curious but uncertain 🤔215- Slightly frustrated (no clear next step) 😕216- Hopeful it will get easier 🙂217 218Pain Points:219- No onboarding checklist or guided tour220- Empty state doesn't suggest next action221- Too many options in navigation (overwhelming)222```223 224**Agent repeats for all journey phases**, showing full map.225 226**Agent asks:**227"Does this capture the customer experience accurately? Should we adjust actions, thoughts, or emotions?"228 229**User response:** [Approve or modify]230 231---232 233### Question 5: Identify Opportunities (Pain Points to Address)234 235**Agent says:**236"Based on the journey map, let's identify opportunities for improvement—ranked by impact."237 238**Agent generates 5-7 opportunities** (pain points with highest emotional intensity or drop-off rates).239 240**Example:**241 242```243# Opportunities (Ranked by Impact)244 245## 1. Onboarding lacks guided first steps (Phase 3: Try)246**Pain Point:** Users see empty dashboard, don't know what to do first247**Evidence:** 60% of signups don't complete first action within 24 hours248**Opportunity:** Add interactive onboarding checklist ("Create your first project," "Invite a teammate")249**Impact:** HIGH — Directly affects activation rate250 251---252 253## 2. Pricing page is confusing (Phase 2: Evaluate)254**Pain Point:** Users don't understand which plan fits their needs255**Evidence:** High bounce rate on pricing page (70% leave without signing up)256**Opportunity:** Add plan comparison tool or "Which plan is right for me?" quiz257**Impact:** HIGH — Directly affects trial conversion258 259---260 261## 3. Support is hard to find (Phase 5: Use)262**Pain Point:** Users encounter issues, struggle to find help263**Evidence:** Support tickets often say "I couldn't find an answer in docs"264**Opportunity:** Add in-app help widget, contextual tooltips265**Impact:** MEDIUM — Affects retention, but fewer users hit this phase266 267---268 269## 4. Email confirmations lack context (Phase 1: Discover)270**Pain Point:** Marketing emails don't explain value clearly271**Evidence:** Low click-through rate on email campaigns (5% vs. industry avg 15%)272**Opportunity:** Rewrite emails with customer language, clear CTAs273**Impact:** MEDIUM — Affects top-of-funnel awareness274 275---276 277## 5. Upgrade prompts feel pushy (Phase 6: Expand)278**Pain Point:** Users perceive upgrade prompts as sales-y, not helpful279**Evidence:** Negative sentiment in NPS comments ("too many upgrade popups")280**Opportunity:** Show upgrade value contextually (when user hits free plan limit)281**Impact:** LOW — Affects smaller user subset282```283 284**Agent asks:**285"Do these opportunities align with your priorities? Which should we focus on first?"286 287**User response:** [Selection or custom]288 289---290 291### Output: Customer Journey Map + Opportunity List292 293After completing the flow, the agent outputs:294 295```markdown296# Customer Journey Map: [Scenario from Q2]297 298**Actor:** [Persona from Q1]299**Scenario:** [Context from Q2]300**Goal:** [What actor is trying to accomplish]301**Date:** [Today's date]302 303---304 305## Journey Phases306 307[Phase 1] → [Phase 2] → [Phase 3] → [Phase 4] → [Phase 5] → [Phase 6]308 309---310 311## Full Journey Map312 313### Phase 1: [Name]314 315**Actions:**316- [Action 1]317- [Action 2]318- [Action 3]319 320**Thoughts:**321- "[Quote 1]"322- "[Quote 2]"323 324**Emotions:**325- [Emotion 1] 😊326- [Emotion 2] 😐327 328**Pain Points:**329- [Pain point 1]330- [Pain point 2]331 332---333 334### Phase 2: [Name]335 336[...repeat structure for all phases...]337 338---339 340## Opportunities (Prioritized)341 342### Opportunity 1: [Name] (HIGH IMPACT)343**Phase:** [Journey phase]344**Pain Point:** [Description]345**Evidence:** [Data/research]346**Proposed Solution:** [How to address]347**Impact:** HIGH — [Rationale]348 349---350 351### Opportunity 2: [Name] (HIGH IMPACT)352**Phase:** [Journey phase]353**Pain Point:** [Description]354**Evidence:** [Data/research]355**Proposed Solution:** [How to address]356**Impact:** HIGH — [Rationale]357 358---359 360[...continue for all opportunities...]361 362---363 364## Next Steps365 3661. **Validate opportunities:** Use `discovery-interview-prep.md` to test hypotheses with customers3672. **Prioritize fixes:** Use `prioritization-advisor.md` to choose which opportunities to tackle first3683. **Create problem statements:** Use `problem-statement.md` to frame top opportunities3694. **Build experiments:** Use `opportunity-solution-tree.md` to design solutions and POCs370 371---372 373**Ready to start addressing opportunities? Let me know if you'd like to refine the map or dive into a specific pain point.**374```375 376---377 378## Examples379 380### Example 1: Good Journey Map (SaaS Onboarding)381 382**Q1 Response:** "Primary persona — Small business owner"383 384**Q2 Response:** "First-time use — New user onboarding, from discovery to activation"385 386**Q3 - Phases Generated:**387```388Discover → Evaluate → Try → Activate → Use → Expand389```390 391**Q4 - Phase 3 (Try) Mapped:**392 393```394Actions:395- Signs up via Google SSO396- Receives welcome email397- Logs in, sees empty dashboard398- Clicks "Help" button, watches 5-min tutorial399- Attempts to create first project, gets stuck on form400 401Thoughts:402- "This looks easy enough"403- "Wait, what's a 'workspace' vs. 'project'?"404- "Do I need to fill out all these fields?"405 406Emotions:407- Excited initially 😊408- Confused by terminology 😕409- Frustrated by unclear form 😞410 411Pain Points:412- No guided onboarding checklist413- Terminology not explained (workspace vs. project)414- Form has too many required fields upfront415```416 417**Q5 - Opportunities Identified:**4181. Add onboarding checklist (HIGH — affects activation)4192. Simplify terminology (MEDIUM — affects understanding)4203. Reduce required form fields (MEDIUM — affects completion rate)421 422**Why this works:**423- Emotions + actions reveal pain points clearly424- Opportunities tied to specific phases425- Evidence from research (drop-off data, support tickets)426 427---428 429### Example 2: Bad Journey Map (Too Generic)430 431**Phase: "Use Product"**432 433**Actions:**434- Uses product435- Does tasks436 437**Thoughts:**438- "This is good"439 440**Emotions:**441- Happy 😊442 443**Why this fails:**444- No specificity (what tasks? which features?)445- No pain points identified (everything is "good")446- Can't extract actionable opportunities447 448**Fix:**449- Get specific: "User creates invoice → sends to client → tracks payment status"450- Include real customer quotes: "I wish I could bulk-send invoices"451- Show emotional highs AND lows (not just happy)452 453---454 455## Common Pitfalls456 457### Pitfall 1: Mapping Internal Process, Not Customer Experience458**Symptom:** Journey phases = "Lead generated → Qualified → Demo scheduled → Deal closed"459 460**Consequence:** Focuses on sales process, not customer perspective461 462**Fix:** Map from customer POV: "Discovers problem → Researches solutions → Tries product → Adopts"463 464---465 466### Pitfall 2: No Emotions or Pain Points467**Symptom:** Journey map lists actions only, no thoughts/emotions468 469**Consequence:** Misses the point—can't identify where experience breaks down470 471**Fix:** Add customer quotes, emotional states (frustrated, delighted, confused)472 473---474 475### Pitfall 3: Too Many Personas in One Map476**Symptom:** Trying to map "all users" in a single journey477 478**Consequence:** Loses focus, becomes generic479 480**Fix:** One map per persona. If multiple personas, create separate maps.481 482---483 484### Pitfall 4: Opportunities Aren't Prioritized485**Symptom:** List 20 opportunities with no ranking486 487**Consequence:** Team paralyzed, doesn't know where to start488 489**Fix:** Rank by impact (HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW) based on evidence and emotional intensity490 491---492 493### Pitfall 5: Map Created in Isolation494**Symptom:** PM creates journey map alone, doesn't involve team495 496**Consequence:** No shared mental model, map doesn't drive decisions497 498**Fix:** Facilitate workshop with cross-functional team (PM, design, engineering, support)499 500---501 502## References503 504### Related Skills505- `customer-journey-map.md` — Component skill with journey map template506- `proto-persona.md` — Defines actor for journey mapping507- `problem-statement.md` — Converts opportunities into problem statements508- `discovery-interview-prep.md` — Gathers research input for mapping509- `opportunity-solution-tree.md` — Designs solutions for journey opportunities510 511### External Frameworks512- Nielsen Norman Group, "Journey Mapping 101" (2016) — Definitive guide to journey mapping513- Adaptive Path, "Guide to Experience Mapping" (2013) — Experience vs. journey maps514 515### Dean's Work516- [If Dean has journey mapping resources, link here]517 518---519 520**Skill type:** Interactive521**Suggested filename:** `customer-journey-mapping-workshop.md`522**Suggested placement:** `/skills/interactive/`523**Dependencies:** Uses `customer-journey-map.md`, `proto-persona.md`, `problem-statement.md`, `jobs-to-be-done.md`