Introduction to Customer Journey Mapping
Visualize the complete customer experience and find opportunities to improve it
Your Progress
Section 1 of 5What Is a Customer Journey Map?
A customer journey map is a visual story of every interaction a customer has with your product or company.
It shows what customers think, feel, and do at each stage—from first hearing about you to becoming a loyal user.
Why it matters: You see the experience through their eyes, not yours.
Customer Journey vs User Flow
Customer Journey vs User Flow
Customer Journey Map
Focus: The complete experience across time
Includes:
- →Thoughts and emotions at each stage
- →Pain points and frustrations
- →Touchpoints (website, email, support)
- →Goals and motivations
- →Before and after product use
Use When:
Understanding the full customer experience
Example:
User discovers problem → researches solutions → tries your product → becomes customer → gets support
Key Difference: User flows are tactical (how to complete task). Journey maps are strategic (entire experience).
Why Map Customer Journeys?
1. Find Hidden Problems
You focus on your product. Customers experience emails, support, billing, and more. Journey maps reveal pain points you miss.
2. Align Your Team
Marketing, product, and support all see different parts. A journey map shows everyone the full picture.
3. Prioritize What to Build
Instead of guessing, you see exactly where customers struggle most. Fix those stages first.
4. Improve Retention
Customers leave at specific stages. Journey maps show where and why, so you can fix it.
The 5 Stages of Customer Journey
5 Stages of Customer Journey
Awareness
Customer realizes they have a problem
"I need a better way to manage my projects"
- ⚠Too many tools
- ⚠Nothing works together
- →Clear positioning
- →SEO
- →Word of mouth
What Goes in a Journey Map?
Stages
The phases customers go through (awareness, consideration, decision, etc.)
Thoughts & Feelings
What customers think and feel at each stage
Touchpoints
Where customers interact with you (website, email, support, etc.)
Pain Points
Frustrations and obstacles at each stage
Opportunities
How you can improve each stage
See Through Your Customer's Eyes
Journey maps force you to stop thinking about your product and start thinking about your customer's entire experience. That is where you find the biggest opportunities.
Key Takeaways
- •Journey maps visualize the complete customer experience across all touchpoints.
- •Different from user flows: strategic (full experience) vs tactical (specific task).
- •5 stages: Awareness, Consideration, Decision, Experience, Loyalty.
- •Include: stages, thoughts/feelings, touchpoints, pain points, opportunities.