customer-journey-mapping-workshop

--- name: customer-journey-mapping-workshop argument-hint: "[persona] [scenario]" description: 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. intent: >- 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. type: interactive best_for: - "Running a workshop to map an end-to-end customer experience" - "Finding pain points across a user's journey" - "Aligning teams on the stages, emotions, and breakdowns in an experience" scenarios: - "Help me run a journey mapping workshop for new customer onboarding" - "Map the experience of a buyer from trial signup to first value" - "Facilitate a workshop on the support journey for churn-risk customers" --- ## Purpose 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. This 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. ## Input **Works best with:** The persona (actor) and the scenario or goal to map. **Also useful:** Journey phases you already know, research artifacts, and where you suspect the experience breaks. Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended `ARGUMENTS:` line — counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re-ask. **Arriving empty-handed? That works too.** The workshop opens with the actor question (Q1) and proceeds one question at a time per the facilitation protocol. **Example invocation:** `Run a journey mapping workshop: persona is a first-time landlord, scenario is listing and leasing their first property through our app.` ## Key Concepts ### What is a Customer Journey Map? A 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. ### Five Key Components (NNGroup Framework) 1. **Actor** — A specific persona or user whose perspective anchors the map 2. **Scenario + Expectations** — The situational context and associated goals 3. **Journey Phases** — High-level stages organizing the experience (e.g., discover, try, buy, use, seek support) 4. **Actions, Mindsets, and Emotions** — User behaviors, thoughts, and emotional responses throughout phases 5. **Opportunities** — Insights identifying where experience can improve ### Journey Map Structure ``` Actor: [Persona Name] Scenario: [Goal/Context] Phase 1: Discover → Phase 2: Try → Phase 3: Buy → Phase 4: Use → Phase 5: Support ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ Actions: Actions: Actions: Actions: Actions: Thoughts: Thoughts: Thoughts: Thoughts: Thoughts: Emotions: 😊😐😞 Emotions: Emotions: Emotions: Emotions: ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ Opportunities: Opportunities: Opportunities: Opportunities: Opportunities: ``` ### Why This Works - **Forces conversation:** Teams align on shared understanding of customer experience - **Reveals pain points:** Emotions + actions highlight where experience breaks down - **Prioritizes improvements:** Opportunities ranked by impact guide roadmap decisions - **Human-centered:** Focuses on customer perspective, not internal processes ### Anti-Patterns (What This Is NOT) - **Not a service blueprint:** Journey maps focus on customer perspective; service blueprints map internal operations - **Not a user story map:** Journey maps support discovery; user story maps facilitate implementation planning - **Not an experience map:** Journey maps target specific users and products; experience maps explore broader human behaviors ### When to Use This - Starting customer discovery (understanding current experience) - Identifying pain points for retention/engagement initiatives - Aligning cross-functional teams on customer perspective - Prioritizing which problems to solve first ### When NOT to Use This - When you already understand the customer journey deeply - For technical refactoring (no customer-facing journey) - As a substitute for user research (maps require research input) --- ### Facilitation Source of Truth Use [`workshop-facilitation`](../workshop-facilitation/SKILL.md) as the default interaction protocol for this skill. It defines: - session heads-up + entry mode (Guided, Context dump, Best guess) - one-question turns with plain-language prompts - progress labels (for example, Context Qx/8 and Scoring Qx/5) - interruption handling and pause/resume behavior - numbered recommendations at decision points - quick-select numbered response options for regular questions (include `Other (specify)` when useful) This file defines the domain-specific assessment content. If there is a conflict, follow this file's domain logic. ## Application This interactive skill asks **up to 5 adaptive questions**, offering **3-4 enumerated options** at each step. Interaction 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. --- ### Step 0: Gather Context (Before Questions) **Agent suggests:** Before we create your journey map, let's gather context: **Customer Research:** - User interviews, discovery notes, support tickets - Churn reasons, exit surveys, NPS feedback - Analytics data (drop-off points, feature usage) - Personas or proto-personas **Product Context:** - Website copy, product descriptions, positioning - Competitor journey maps or reviews (G2, Capterra) - Existing journey documentation (if any) **You can paste this content directly, or describe the customer experience briefly.** --- ### Question 1: Identify Actor (Persona) **Agent asks:** "Who is the actor for this journey map? (Which persona or user segment?)" **Offer 4 enumerated options:** 1. **Primary persona** — "Your main target customer (e.g., 'small business owner')" (Most common starting point) 2. **Secondary persona** — "A secondary user segment with different needs (e.g., 'enterprise admin' vs. 'end user')" (Use if primary persona already mapped) 3. **High-churn persona** — "User segment with highest churn rate (e.g., 'trial users who don't convert')" (Good for retention initiatives) 4. **Newly discovered persona** — "Emerging user segment from recent research (e.g., 'remote teams' post-COVID)" (Good for market expansion) **Or describe your specific persona.** **Adaptation:** Use personas from context (proto-personas, JTBD research, etc.) **User response:** [Selection or custom] --- ### Question 2: Define Scenario + Goal **Agent asks:** "What's the scenario and goal for this journey? (What is the actor trying to accomplish?)" **Offer 4 enumerated options:** 1. **First-time use** — "New user onboarding, from discovery to activation" (Common for SaaS, apps) 2. **Core workflow** — "Recurring task the user does regularly (e.g., 'create invoice,' 'run report')" (Common for established products) 3. **Problem resolution** — "User encounters issue and seeks help (e.g., 'forgot password,' 'billing question')" (Good for support/retention) 4. **Upgrade/expansion** — "Free user considering paid plan, or existing customer expanding usage" (Good for growth initiatives) **Or describe your specific scenario.** **User response:** [Selection or custom] **Agent extracts:** - **Actor:** [Persona from Q1] - **Scenario:** [Context from Q2] - **Goal:** [What actor is trying to accomplish] --- ### Question 3: Identify Journey Phases **Agent says:** "Let's break the journey into high-level phases (typically 4-6 phases from start to end)." **Agent generates 4-6 journey phases** based on scenario (Q2). **Example (if Scenario = "First-time use"):** ``` Journey Phases (left to right): 1. Discover — User learns about product 2. Evaluate — User researches, compares alternatives 3. Try — User signs up, starts onboarding 4. Activate — User reaches "aha moment," experiences value 5. Use — User integrates product into workflow 6. Expand — User considers upgrading or inviting team ``` **Agent asks:** "Do these phases capture the full journey? Should we add, remove, or rename phases?" **User response:** [Approve or modify] --- ### Question 4: Map Actions, Thoughts, Emotions per Phase **Agent says:** "Now let's map what the actor does, thinks, and feels in each phase." **Agent generates 3-5 actions, thoughts, and emotions per phase** based on context (Step 0) and scenario (Q2). **Example (for Phase 3: "Try — User signs up, starts onboarding"):** ``` Phase 3: Try (Onboarding) Actions: - Signs up with email - Receives welcome email - Logs in for the first time - Sees empty dashboard - Searches for "getting started" guide Thoughts: - "This looks promising, but I'm not sure where to start" - "Do I need to watch a tutorial video?" - "What's the first step?" Emotions: - Curious but uncertain 🤔 - Slightly frustrated (no clear next step) 😕 - Hopeful it will get easier 🙂 Pain Points: - No onboarding checklist or guided tour - Empty state doesn't suggest next action - Too many options in navigation (overwhelming) ``` **Agent repeats for all journey phases**, showing full map. **Agent asks:** "Does this capture the customer experience accurately? Should we adjust actions, thoughts, or emotions?" **User response:** [Approve or modify] --- ### Question 5: Identify Opportunities (Pain Points to Address) **Agent says:** "Based on the journey map, let's identify opportunities for improvement—ranked by impact." **Agent generates 5-7 opportunities** (pain points with highest emotional intensity or drop-off rates). **Example:** ``` # Opportunities (Ranked by Impact) ## 1. Onboarding lacks guided first steps (Phase 3: Try) **Pain Point:** Users see empty dashboard, don't know what to do first **Evidence:** 60% of signups don't complete first action within 24 hours **Opportunity:** Add interactive onboarding checklist ("Create your first project," "Invite a teammate") **Impact:** HIGH — Directly affects activation rate --- ## 2. Pricing page is confusing (Phase 2: Evaluate) **Pain Point:** Users don't understand which plan fits their needs **Evidence:** High bounce rate on pricing page (70% leave without signing up) **Opportunity:** Add plan comparison tool or "Which plan is right for me?" quiz **Impact:** HIGH — Directly affects trial conversion --- ## 3. Support is hard to find (Phase 5: Use) **Pain Point:** Users encounter issues, struggle to find help **Evidence:** Support tickets often say "I couldn't find an answer in docs" **Opportunity:** Add in-app help widget, contextual tooltips **Impact:** MEDIUM — Affects retention, but fewer users hit this phase --- ## 4. Email confirmations lack context (Phase 1: Discover) **Pain Point:** Marketing emails don't explain value clearly **Evidence:** Low click-through rate on email campaigns (5% vs. industry avg 15%) **Opportunity:** Rewrite emails with customer language, clear CTAs **Impact:** MEDIUM — Affects top-of-funnel awareness --- ## 5. Upgrade prompts feel pushy (Phase 6: Expand) **Pain Point:** Users perceive upgrade prompts as sales-y, not helpful **Evidence:** Negative sentiment in NPS comments ("too many upgrade popups") **Opportunity:** Show upgrade value contextually (when user hits free plan limit) **Impact:** LOW — Affects smaller user subset ``` **Agent asks:** "Do these opportunities align with your priorities? Which should we focus on first?" **User response:** [Selection or custom] --- ### Output: Customer Journey Map + Opportunity List After completing the flow, the agent outputs: ```markdown # Customer Journey Map: [Scenario from Q2] **Actor:** [Persona from Q1] **Scenario:** [Context from Q2] **Goal:** [What actor is trying to accomplish] **Date:** [Today's date] --- ## Journey Phases [Phase 1] → [Phase 2] → [Phase 3] → [Phase 4] → [Phase 5] → [Phase 6] --- ## Full Journey Map ### Phase 1: [Name] **Actions:** - [Action 1] - [Action 2] - [Action 3] **Thoughts:** - "[Quote 1]" - "[Quote 2]" **Emotions:** - [Emotion 1] 😊 - [Emotion 2] 😐 **Pain Points:** - [Pain point 1] - [Pain point 2] --- ### Phase 2: [Name] [...repeat structure for all phases...] --- ## Opportunities (Prioritized) ### Opportunity 1: [Name] (HIGH IMPACT) **Phase:** [Journey phase] **Pain Point:** [Description] **Evidence:** [Data/research] **Proposed Solution:** [How to address] **Impact:** HIGH — [Rationale] --- ### Opportunity 2: [Name] (HIGH IMPACT) **Phase:** [Journey phase] **Pain Point:** [Description] **Evidence:** [Data/research] **Proposed Solution:** [How to address] **Impact:** HIGH — [Rationale] --- [...continue for all opportunities...] --- ## Next Steps 1. **Validate opportunities:** Use `discovery-interview-prep.md` to test hypotheses with customers 2. **Prioritize fixes:** Use `prioritization-advisor.md` to choose which opportunities to tackle first 3. **Create problem statements:** Use `problem-statement.md` to frame top opportunities 4. **Build experiments:** Use `opportunity-solution-tree.md` to design solutions and POCs --- **Ready to start addressing opportunities? Let me know if you'd like to refine the map or dive into a specific pain point.** ``` --- ## Examples ### Example 1: Good Journey Map (SaaS Onboarding) **Q1 Response:** "Primary persona — Small business owner" **Q2 Response:** "First-time use — New user onboarding, from discovery to activation" **Q3 - Phases Generated:** ``` Discover → Evaluate → Try → Activate → Use → Expand ``` **Q4 - Phase 3 (Try) Mapped:** ``` Actions: - Signs up via Google SSO - Receives welcome email - Logs in, sees empty dashboard - Clicks "Help" button, watches 5-min tutorial - Attempts to create first project, gets stuck on form Thoughts: - "This looks easy enough" - "Wait, what's a 'workspace' vs. 'project'?" - "Do I need to fill out all these fields?" Emotions: - Excited initially 😊 - Confused by terminology 😕 - Frustrated by unclear form 😞 Pain Points: - No guided onboarding checklist - Terminology not explained (workspace vs. project) - Form has too many required fields upfront ``` **Q5 - Opportunities Identified:** 1. Add onboarding checklist (HIGH — affects activation) 2. Simplify terminology (MEDIUM — affects understanding) 3. Reduce required form fields (MEDIUM — affects completion rate) **Why this works:** - Emotions + actions reveal pain points clearly - Opportunities tied to specific phases - Evidence from research (drop-off data, support tickets) --- ### Example 2: Bad Journey Map (Too Generic) **Phase: "Use Product"** **Actions:** - Uses product - Does tasks **Thoughts:** - "This is good" **Emotions:** - Happy 😊 **Why this fails:** - No specificity (what tasks? which features?) - No pain points identified (everything is "good") - Can't extract actionable opportunities **Fix:** - Get specific: "User creates invoice → sends to client → tracks payment status" - Include real customer quotes: "I wish I could bulk-send invoices" - Show emotional highs AND lows (not just happy) --- ## Common Pitfalls ### Pitfall 1: Mapping Internal Process, Not Customer Experience **Symptom:** Journey phases = "Lead generated → Qualified → Demo scheduled → Deal closed" **Consequence:** Focuses on sales process, not customer perspective **Fix:** Map from customer POV: "Discovers problem → Researches solutions → Tries product → Adopts" --- ### Pitfall 2: No Emotions or Pain Points **Symptom:** Journey map lists actions only, no thoughts/emotions **Consequence:** Misses the point—can't identify where experience breaks down **Fix:** Add customer quotes, emotional states (frustrated, delighted, confused) --- ### Pitfall 3: Too Many Personas in One Map **Symptom:** Trying to map "all users" in a single journey **Consequence:** Loses focus, becomes generic **Fix:** One map per persona. If multiple personas, create separate maps. --- ### Pitfall 4: Opportunities Aren't Prioritized **Symptom:** List 20 opportunities with no ranking **Consequence:** Team paralyzed, doesn't know where to start **Fix:** Rank by impact (HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW) based on evidence and emotional intensity --- ### Pitfall 5: Map Created in Isolation **Symptom:** PM creates journey map alone, doesn't involve team **Consequence:** No shared mental model, map doesn't drive decisions **Fix:** Facilitate workshop with cross-functional team (PM, design, engineering, support) --- ## References ### Related Skills - `customer-journey-map.md` — Component skill with journey map template - `proto-persona.md` — Defines actor for journey mapping - `problem-statement.md` — Converts opportunities into problem statements - `discovery-interview-prep.md` — Gathers research input for mapping - `opportunity-solution-tree.md` — Designs solutions for journey opportunities ### External Frameworks - Nielsen Norman Group, "Journey Mapping 101" (2016) — Definitive guide to journey mapping - Adaptive Path, "Guide to Experience Mapping" (2013) — Experience vs. journey maps ### Dean's Work - [If Dean has journey mapping resources, link here] --- **Skill type:** Interactive **Suggested filename:** `customer-journey-mapping-workshop.md` **Suggested placement:** `/skills/interactive/` **Dependencies:** Uses `customer-journey-map.md`, `proto-persona.md`, `problem-statement.md`, `jobs-to-be-done.md`

[{"step":"Define the persona and scenario. Replace [PERSONA], [SCENARIO], [NUMBER], and [STAGE_1/2/3] placeholders with specific details about your target customer and their journey. Be as specific as possible—e.g., 'Persona: Mid-level HR manager at a 500-person company evaluating HR software for employee onboarding.'","tip":"Use real customer data (e.g., surveys, interviews) to inform the persona. The more specific the persona, the more actionable the output."},{"step":"Run the workshop interactively. Paste the prompt into an AI tool (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT) and let it generate the journey map. Ask follow-up questions like, 'What are the emotional highs and lows at each stage?' or 'What competitors might Sarah consider?' to refine the output.","tip":"For deeper insights, ask the AI to suggest **quantitative metrics** to track (e.g., 'What % of users drop off during onboarding?')."},{"step":"Prioritize pain points and opportunities. Use the AI’s output to identify the top 3 pain points and brainstorm solutions. Ask the AI to suggest **low-effort, high-impact fixes** (e.g., 'What’s a quick win to improve the onboarding experience?').","tip":"Rank pain points by **severity** (how much they impact the customer) and **frequency** (how often they occur). Focus on the top 3."},{"step":"Translate insights into action. Use the prioritized list to create a **customer journey improvement plan**. Assign owners, deadlines, and success metrics (e.g., 'Reduce onboarding time from 2 weeks to 3 days by Q3').","tip":"Share the output with your team (e.g., product, marketing, customer support) to align on next steps. Use the 'wow moment' as a talking point for customer success stories."},{"step":"Iterate and validate. Re-run the workshop periodically (e.g., quarterly) to update the journey map as your product or market evolves. Test improvements with real customers and refine based on feedback.","tip":"Use tools like **Miro** or **Figma** to visualize the journey map and collaborate with your team. Import the AI’s output into these tools for further refinement."}]