User Journey Map
Introduction
In a world overflowing with digital services, capturing the hearts of users is no easy task. Why do some apps get deleted right after installation, while others become part of our daily routine? The answer lies in the "User Journey." A user journey is more than just an analysis tool — it's a powerful method for uncovering real user needs and driving service innovation. Today, let's explore in depth what every UX designer and service planner must know about the user journey.
What is a User Journey?
A user journey is a visual map that outlines the entire process a user goes through to achieve a specific goal while interacting with a service. It doesn't just track surface-level actions like "click → navigate → purchase" but comprehensively captures what the user is thinking, feeling, and struggling with at each stage.
For example, think about ordering fried chicken through a delivery app. The user's journey starts with the need — "I'm hungry" — and moves through launching the app, selecting a menu, making payment, waiting for delivery, and receiving the food. Identifying the gaps between user expectations and actual experience at every stage is the core of a user journey analysis.
Why is the User Journey Important?
✅ Viewing the Service from the User's Perspective
Most companies develop services from their own point of view. But a user journey allows teams to re-evaluate their service from the user's perspective. What seems obvious to a developer or planner may actually be a major barrier for the user.
✅ Uncovering Hidden Issues
A service that seems fine on the surface may reveal unexpected pain points when the user journey is mapped out. This is especially common at the connection points between different departments managing various touchpoints.
✅ Creating Business Impact
According to a McKinsey study, companies that systematically manage customer journeys achieve more than 20% higher customer satisfaction than those that don't. Better user experiences directly translate to increased revenue.
✅ Building Organizational Alignment
A user journey provides a common language centered on the user, bringing together development, marketing, and customer service teams. This enables more effective cross-functional collaboration.
Key Components of a User Journey
To create an effective user journey, you should include these seven key elements:
1️⃣ Thinking
What the user is thinking at each stage. For example, "What will happen if I press this button?", "Is this price reasonable?", "Is this payment method really safe?"
2️⃣ Doing
The specific actions the user takes, such as clicks, scrolling, searching, entering data, and making payments. These should be listed in chronological order.
3️⃣ Feeling
The emotional state of the user at each stage, such as anticipation, anxiety, satisfaction, or frustration. Visualizing this as an emotional journey curve makes it even more effective.
4️⃣ Touch Points
All the points where the user interacts with the brand or service, including the website, mobile app, customer center, emails, social media, and offline stores.
5️⃣ Strengths
What the service does well at each stage — where the user feels satisfied or receives an experience beyond expectations.
6️⃣ Weaknesses
Pain points where the user feels discomfort or might drop off, such as long loading times, complicated sign-up processes, or unhelpful customer service.
7️⃣ Opportunities
Specific improvement ideas to address weaknesses or strengthen existing advantages. It's crucial to go beyond just pointing out problems and offer actionable solutions.
Steps to Build a User Journey
✅ Step 1: Define Goals and Scope
Clearly set the purpose for creating the user journey. Are you aiming to improve the new user sign-up process? Boost purchase conversion rates? Identify churn points? The purpose determines the scope and depth of analysis. For example, improving the remittance feature in an app like Toss would require analyzing the entire process from recognizing the need to send money to confirming completion.
✅ Step 2: Identify Target Persona
Trying to satisfy everyone means satisfying no one. Define a specific persona and clarify their traits. Example: "Kim Min-soo, 28 years old, office worker, intermediate smartphone user, prefers quick payments, values saving time."
✅ Step 3: Collect and Map Data
Use both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data includes user interviews, customer service inquiries, usability test results, and review/feedback analysis. Quantitative data includes web analytics (like GA4), app usage logs, conversion and churn rates, and A/B test results.
✅ Step 4: Derive Insights and Set Priorities
Identify key problems based on the data, then prioritize improvements by considering business impact and implementation difficulty. Using a priority matrix can help:
- High impact + low difficulty → execute immediately
- High impact + high difficulty → plan for long term
- Low impact + low difficulty → address when time allows
- Low impact + high difficulty → defer or discard
Additional Tools to Enhance Your User Journey
✅ Emotional Journey Curve
Graph the emotional changes users experience. The X-axis represents time (stages), and the Y-axis represents emotional state (satisfaction level). Sudden drops in emotion indicate urgent improvement areas.
✅ Backstage Process
The internal operations that support the service but are invisible to users, such as order processing, inventory management, and delivery workflows. Understanding the connection between frontend and backend helps identify improvement opportunities.
✅ Link to KPIs
Assign measurable KPIs to each stage. For example:
- Landing page → time on page, bounce rate
- Sign-up → completion rate, time to sign up
- First purchase → conversion rate, cart abandonment rate
- Repeat purchase → return rate, customer retention
✅ Omnichannel View
Understand the user's journey across both online and offline channels. Many users research online and buy offline (or vice versa), so an integrated perspective is essential.
Example: Chicken Order Journey in a Delivery App
Let's analyze the chicken ordering process through a delivery app using a user journey approach.
✅ Stage 1: Need Arises
- Thinking: "What should I eat? Something convenient at home…"
- Doing: Picking up smartphone
- Feeling: Difficulty choosing, anticipation
- Touch Point: Mobile app icon
✅ Stage 2: Launch App & Explore Menu
- Thinking: "Any discounts today? What do the reviews say?"
- Doing: Launching app, selecting category, comparing stores
- Feeling: Sense of choice, slight confusion
- Touch Point: App homepage, filter features
✅ Stage 3: Order & Payment
- Thinking: "How much is the delivery fee? Is payment secure?"
- Doing: Selecting menu, setting options, completing payment
- Feeling: Relief after deciding, anxiety about payment
- Touch Point: Order screen, payment system
By analyzing the journey this thoroughly, you can clearly identify improvements at each stage.
The Impact of User Journey Mapping
A user journey map is not just an analysis tool. It's a compass that guides the entire organization toward user-centered thinking.
A well-crafted user journey map leads to real change:
In today's era of digital transformation, understanding users is more important than having a technological advantage. The user journey is the starting point of that understanding. Don't aim for a perfect journey map in one go — start small and improve continuously.
Starting today, apply user journey thinking to your own services. You're sure to uncover opportunities you've never seen before!
Reference for Figma Journey Map Templates
https://www.figma.com/community/file/1231335225843178928/journey-map-kit
https://www.figma.com/community/file/1139780825384692937/user-journey-map-templates
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