Identifying Pain Points
Find where customers struggle most and prioritize fixes
Your Progress
Section 4 of 5What Are Pain Points?
Pain points are obstacles, frustrations, or moments of confusion in the customer journey.
They are where customers struggle, get stuck, or give up. Finding and fixing pain points is how you improve the experience.
Not all pain points are equal. Some block critical actions. Others are minor annoyances.
Types of Pain Points
Information Pain Points
Customer cannot find what they need.
Example: "I cannot find the pricing page"
Friction Pain Points
Task is too difficult or takes too long.
Example: "Sign up has 20 fields. I give up"
Trust Pain Points
Customer doubts credibility or safety.
Example: "Is this site even legit?"
Performance Pain Points
Product is slow, buggy, or unreliable.
Example: "It takes 30 seconds to load"
Cost Pain Points
Price does not match perceived value.
Example: "Too expensive for what it does"
Support Pain Points
Cannot get help when stuck.
Example: "Support takes 3 days to reply"
Common Pain Points by Stage
Pain Point Identifier
Common pain points found in customer journeys, with real user quotes.
Cannot find clear pricing
"I had to click through 5 pages to find the price"
No social proof or reviews
"I do not know if anyone actually uses this"
Feature comparison too technical
"I do not understand what half of these features mean"
Sign up form has 15 fields
"This is taking forever. I will try later"
Pricing seems expensive vs value
"Not sure this is worth $50/month yet"
Cannot figure out how to import data
"Where is the import button? I am stuck"
App is slow on mobile
"Takes 10 seconds to load. I give up"
Support takes 2 days to respond
"I have been waiting 48 hours for a response"
Critical pain points cause immediate abandonment. Fix these first.
Prioritization Matrix
Pain Point Impact Matrix
Prioritize pain points by impact and frequency.
Fix high-impact, high-frequency pain points first. They affect the most customers and have the biggest impact on your metrics.
How to Find Pain Points
1. Listen to Support Tickets
Customers tell you their pain points directly. Review common questions and complaints.
2. Watch Session Recordings
See where users hesitate, click wrong things, or give up. Their actions reveal pain points.
3. Check Analytics Drop-Off
Where do users abandon the journey? High drop-off points indicate pain points.
4. Interview Churned Customers
Ask customers who left: "What was the moment you decided to cancel?" They will tell you the biggest pain points.
5. Run Usability Tests
Watch users try to complete tasks. When they struggle, you have found a pain point.
Fix Pain Points, Not Symptoms
If customers complain about slow support, the pain point is not slow support—it is that they got stuck. Fix the product so they do not need support.
Key Takeaways
- •Pain points: obstacles and frustrations in the customer journey.
- •Types: information, friction, trust, performance, cost, support.
- •Prioritize by impact and frequency: fix high-impact, high-frequency first.
- •Find pain points through support tickets, session recordings, analytics, interviews, and usability tests.