Phase: Discovery or Development
Summary: Participants break down a user’s experience keep a log of thoughts and experiences while interacting with a product into steps and themes
Suggestion: Common to run workshop as part of a combined Empathy and User Journey Mapping workshop
What is a
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User journey mapping is a popular design workshop technique to break down how a user experiences a product into a sequence of steps and themes. A user journey map is essentially a large table with two primary axes. The horizontal axis represents steps the user takes over time, and the vertical axis represents different thematic experiences the user encounters while using the product.
There are two types of user journey maps that can be created during a workshop. The first type is a retrospective map that outlines the steps users currently take while using the product (often based on research findings). The second is a prospective map to examine how you think users will act with a new product idea.
When to use a User Journey Mapping workshop
User journey mapping workshops generally take place at the beginning of the design process and after the completion of some user research. It can provide a good starting-off point for the first few weeks of discovery and exploration.
It is important to note that if the map is to be based on assumptions the team is making about user behaviour rather than actual user data, it should be considered a hypothesis to be tested against data collected during future user research.
Benefits and frustrations
Benefits
Shift team and stakeholder mindset from features-first to a user and journey-centric process
Establish focus on customer needs
Help team members create a connection with users
Create alignment around common goals and product vision
Identify potential product opportunities
Frustrations
Difficulty defining journey map process, scope and standardization
Challenging to find data which accurately reflects user experiences in the real-world vs. superficial goals and needs
Planning
User journey mapping workshops are generally conducted in an informal manner to create an environment to support brainstorming among participants.
The following are a list of planning questions and requirements to consider:
Create a cross functional participant list including team members, stakeholders, and users (if required) to attend the workshop. The ideal size is 5-6 participants per user journey map. If there are more participants, divide into multiple groups with each creating a different map.
Define the objective of the workshop. Ask – What do you want to achieve? Why is it essential to answer this question before moving forward? Is the objective measurable?
Decide on which user type, user journey and scenario the workshop will focus on (pick one user type / journey / scenario focus on per map) and invite participants who have knowledge in this area.
Gather existing research and artifacts (if available) and share with all participants in advance of the workshop (e.g. existing UX, analytics, research reports, etc.). You can create a shared repository for participants to access.
Can assign “homework” to prepare participants such as open-ended thought-provoking starter questions, a short summary of available research, slides to highlight key concepts, background reading (articles), etc.
Select a location or virtual platform to hold workshop.
Supplies
Gather supplies to create a user journey map table:
Whiteboard, foam board or substitute material
Erasable markers, tape post-its (need three colours: pink, yellow and blue), Sharpies, dot stickers, and notepads for participants (supplies are dependent on materials used to create the user journey map)
Creating the User Journey Map
Create user journey map table for participants to complete during workshop (axes steps and themes can be added in advance or during workshop). You can use pink Post-it notes to represent the horizontal and vertical axis headers (appendix A).
Horizontal axis represents steps the user takes over time and are unique to each product.
Vertical axis represents thematic experiences the user encounters such as:
Actions - tasks user completes to move to next step
Questions - anything the user needs answered to move to next step
Happy moments - positive interactions that improve the experience for users
Pain points - frustrations and annoyances that create a bad experience for users
Opportunities - design ideas, concepts and enhancements that could be added to address pain points or improve user experience
When creating the journey map, it’s a good idea to make sure it is flexible and can be amended during the workshop (e.g. add/remove columns or rows, change horizontal header titles).
Conducting a User Journey Mapping workshop
How to run a user journey workshop:
Gather the group of team members, stakeholders, and users (if appropriate) in a room
Review and/or fill in the horizontal and vertical axes (as appropriate) with group
Give the team Sharpies and post-it notes (yellow and blue)
Group works together to fill in the grid, referencing the empathy map for inspiration (if completed)
Use yellow Post-its fill in the grid for all rows except “Opportunities”
Be sure to leave the “Opportunities” vertical axis blank until all others are complete using the blue Post-its
Don’t worry if some grids are blank as this is normal
When the table is complete, participants can also be asked to put a dot sticker on what they consider to be their top three pain points
After workshop, “Opportunities” can be placed in a separate table with the column headings “Problem” and “Opportunity” to be addressed later (appendix B)
Outcome
At the completion of the user journey mapping workshop, it is expected participants will gain insight into the following concepts and opportunities:
User-centric decision making
Designing products for users and journeys instead of features and processes
Potential product opportunities have been identified
Appendix A
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Appendix B
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References
Brignull, Harry. “How to run an Empathy & User Journey Mapping Workshop.” Harry Brignull, 4 Jan. 2016,
https://harrybr.medium.com/how-to-run-an-empathy-user-journey-mapping-workshop-813f3737067#.ep7vgtuu7 .
“Chapter 4: How to run a Customer Journey Mapping Workshop.” https://www.surveysensum.com/blog/chapter-4-customer-journey-mapping-workshop/ .
Kaplan, Kate. “How to Run a Journey-Mapping Workshop: A Step-by-Step Case Study.” Nielsen Norman Group, 5 Jul. 2020, https://www.nngroup.com/articles/journey-mapping-workshop/ .
Kaplan, Kate. “Journey Mapping in Real Life: A Survey of UX Practitioners. Nielsen Norman Group, 16 Oct. 2016, https://www.nngroup.com/articles/journey-mapping-ux-practitioners/
Additional Resources
Kaplan, Kate. “The 5 Steps for Successful Customer Journey Mapping.” Nielsen Norman Group, 28 May 2017, https://www.nngroup.com/articles/customer-journey-mapping-process/ .
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Diary Study?
A diary study involves participants keeping a log of the thoughts and experiences they encounter while actively interacting with the product on a day-to-day basis. Diary studies usually take place over a certain period, generally ranging from a few days to a few weeks.
The primary aim of a diary study is to give researchers the opportunity to understand what motivates users to take certain actions while using a product and expose habits and patterns of behaviour over time. They provide a wealth of varied and detailed information, and a good understanding of user pain points to be solved.
Diary studies are considered a “hands-off” and economical way to gather a substantial amount of qualitative data (and some quantitative data) from users.
When to use a Diary Study
Diary studies are best utilized when researchers need an affordable way to observe user behaviour in a real-world setting, and when there is a need to collect data over time rather than only during a single visit. They can be used in the early stages of development to test new products, and at the end of a development cycle to fine-tune details.
Benefits and pitfalls
Benefits
In-depth understanding of a target user group
Uncover topics and pain points missed by other types of research, as user data is collected over a certain length of time vs. a single session
Minimally intrusive and captures naturalistic or in-context data
Can collect data from multiple users during a single time period without having to commit resources to a field study
Pitfalls
Participants may lose interest in recording diary entries or quit the study altogether. One solution to this problem is constant communication between researcher and participant.
Analyzing qualitative diary study data can be time consuming due to sheer volume and is difficult to automate. Workarounds include creating standard diary entry questions and asking participants to use digital tools to record diary entries.
Planning
The first step in planning a diary study is to prepare research questions and define study goals.
To prepare research questions, you can use our “User Interview” guide and User Interviews “Diary Study Launch Kit” to help you prepare https://www.userinterviews.com/launch-kit/user-interview . Diary study questions can be structured or open-ended. Example questions include:
What did you do today?
What did you like most about [task/activity]?
What did you like least about [task/activity]?
How could [task/activity] have been made better for you?
How did you feel about your experience [doing task/activity] today?
Why did you feel that way?
Did anything get in your way?
The next step is to decide on your diary type, structure and frequency.
Diary type
Handwritten
Electronic (voice, video or photos)
Diary structure
Freeform (open-ended questions)
Structured (closed-ended questions/pre-set forms)
Frequency
Interval contingent (completed at specific times)
Signal contingent (completed only when you call/email participant)
Event contingent (completed when pre-discussed event happens - e.g. when it rains)
During the recruitment and onboarding phase, you will want to make sure you include the right participant in your study, train them in advance and set expectations (e.g. timeline, schedule). Researchers may also choose to conduct a pilot study in advance of the main study to ensure all instructions are understood by participants and any technology to be used is working.
Conducting a Diary Study
Once the study begins, it’s important to continuously check on your participants and answer any questions as they come up. You may also need to remind participants to make diary study entries.
After the diary study is complete, review diary entities and prepare a debriefing interview with each participant. During debriefing, you can clarify any unclear comments or experiences and gain additional insights. Try to complete the debrief interview soon after the diary study is complete, so the experience is still fresh for participants.
Analysis
Researchers can utilize several different methods to analyze diary study data. It is good practice to choose a data analysis method in advance so you can tailor your research questions to match the style of data analysis. After data analysis is complete, data will have to be formatted into a manageable and easy to understand layout that can be accessed by all team members and stakeholders to help inform product development.
References
“Design Research Methods: Diary Study.” OUTWIT*LY, 22 Aug. 2021, https://www.outwitly.com/blog/research-methods-diary-study .
“Diary Studies.” User Interviews, https://www.userinterviews.com/ux-research-field-guide-chapter/diary-studies . Retrieved 8 Nov. 2021.
Moran, Kelly. “Diary studies: a quick primer.” UX Collective, 8 May 2018,
https://uxdesign.cc/diary-studies-cd65a61a4f89
Additional Resources
Halsey, Mac. “How to Conduct a Diary Study: A Start-to-Finish Guide.” dscout,
https://dscout.com/people-nerds/diary-study-guide . Retrieved 8 Nov. 2021.
Salazar, Kim. “Diary Studies: Understanding Long-Term User Behavior and Experiences.” Nielsen Norman Group, 5 June 2016,
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/workshopsdiary-vs-meetingsstudies/ .Kaplan, Kate. “When and How to Create Customer Journey Maps.” Nielsen Norman Group, 31 Jul. 2016,
“User Interview Launch Kit.” User Interviews,
https://www.nngroupuserinterviews.com/articleslaunch-kit/customer-journey-mapping/user-interview . Retrieved 8 Nov. 2021.