Framing Insights and Findings for Impact

True insights are rare gems that emerge from connecting multiple findings to reveal fundamental truths about human behavior. They go beyond surface-level observations to uncover hidden motivations, challenge assumptions, or expose unrecognized patterns. Unlike findings that tell you what's happening, insights explain why at a deeper level and often feel revelatory when discovered.^[1]

Consider the difference: A finding states "60% of users drop off at step 3 of signup." An insight might emerge after connecting this with interview data, support tickets, and behavioral analytics: "Users deliberately abandon signups to test if companies will pursue them with discounts, treating registration as a negotiation rather than a commitment."

Insights require patience and skill to uncover. They don't appear in single data points but emerge from synthesizing diverse findings. Most journey maps will contain dozens of useful findings but perhaps only one or two genuine insights. This rarity makes them powerful catalysts for innovation and strategic change.

Data points, observations, and customer needs are not insights, though they're often mislabeled as such. "75% prefer mobile browsing" is data. "Customers find checkout confusing" is an observation. "Users need faster loading times" states a requirement. None reveal the deeper "why" that defines true insights.

Insights aren't just important findings or surprising facts. A finding might be critical for business success without being an insight. Discovering that your biggest customer segment can't use a key feature is valuable but not insightful unless you uncover why they can't use it in ways that reveal broader truths about their beliefs or behaviors.

Beware of forcing insight status onto findings because stakeholders expect "insights." This diminishes the power of real insights when they emerge. Better to present valuable findings honestly than to oversell them. True insights are worth waiting for because they transform understanding and drive innovation.

Before insights can emerge, you need a rich collection of findings from multiple sources. Findings include quantitative data (analytics, metrics), qualitative observations (interview quotes, support tickets), and behavioral patterns. Each finding is a clue that might contribute to a larger insight when combined with others.

Organize findings by customer journey stage, theme, or data source. Look for clusters where multiple findings point toward similar issues. A finding about pricing confusion in surveys, another about comparison shopping in analytics, and support tickets about billing questions might cluster around financial transparency concerns.

Document findings without forcing connections. The temptation is to label every interesting finding as an insight, but resist this urge. Instead, build a comprehensive library of findings and let patterns emerge naturally. Quality insights often come from unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated findings.

Not all friction deserves equal prominence in your story. Highlight friction that significantly impacts customer success or business metrics. Minor annoyances might accumulate, but focus on friction that causes abandonment, drives support costs, or damages brand perception. These breaking points anchor your narrative.

Distinguish between friction types:

• Capability gaps (can't do something)
• Cognitive load (too complex)
• Emotional barriers (fear, mistrust)

Each requires different framing. Capability gaps need functional solutions. Cognitive friction suggests simplification. Emotional barriers might connect to deeper insights about customer beliefs.

Quantify friction impact to justify prominence. Show what each friction point costs in lost customers, support tickets, or negative reviews. Connect individual friction to cascading effects. One confusing step might trigger multiple support contacts, negative reviews, and lost referrals. This total impact determines story placement.

Moments that matter are journey points where customers form lasting impressions that influence future behavior and loyalty. These might be moments of delight that create advocates or breaking points that trigger defection. Unlike routine friction, these moments disproportionately shape customer relationships.

Identify these moments by looking for emotional peaks, decision points, and memory-forming events. First product experience, problem resolution, and relationship milestones often qualify. These moments carry weight beyond their functional role. A smooth return process might matter more than faster checkout because it builds trust.

Frame these moments as opportunities, not just problems. A difficult moment that customers overcome can strengthen loyalty if handled well. Show stakeholders how investing in moments that matter multiplies impact. Improving routine touchpoints yields linear returns; transforming critical moments creates exponential value.

Strategic misalignments occur when journey findings reveal disconnects between company intentions and customer reality. Your organization might prioritize mobile experience while customers desperately want human support. These gaps between strategy and actual needs often point toward deeper insights about customer values.

Look for patterns where customer behavior contradicts business assumptions. If you've invested in self-service tools that customers actively avoid, explore why. The surface finding might be poor usability, but deeper investigation could reveal insight about customers viewing complexity as care or personal service as status.

Frame misalignments as opportunities to evolve strategy based on customer truth rather than internal assumptions. Show how customer behavior reveals market opportunities competitors miss. These strategic pivots, grounded in journey evidence, often yield more value than optimizing existing approaches.

Every finding and insight should connect to your original research objectives. If you set out to understand cart abandonment, your discoveries should illuminate that issue. Findings that don't link to objectives might be interesting but distract from your core story. This alignment ensures your map delivers promised value.

Create explicit connections using a simple framework: state the objective, present relevant findings, and if you've discovered one, reveal the insight that explains everything.

For example:

• Objective: Why do trials not convert?
• Findings: Users explore heavily in week one then disappear
• Insight: Customers treat trials as research phases for future purchases, not current decisions.

This linking process also reveals research gaps. If key objectives lack strong findings, acknowledge this honestly. If you've uncovered important findings outside original scope, note them for future investigation. Maintaining objective alignment keeps stakeholders focused while building trust through transparency.

Insights themselves are revelations about human behavior. They inform but don't prescribe. The power comes from what you do next. When you uncover a true insight (rare but transformative), it demands serious attention and collaborative exploration.

Most journey maps yield findings rather than insights, and that's valuable. For findings, you might suggest direct improvements. But true insights require deeper exploration. If you discover that customers deliberately abandon carts as a price negotiation tactic, expecting retention discounts, you can't just offer everyone discounts. Instead, convene co-creation sessions to explore how to address price transparency and value perception.

Document insights separately from action plans. First, state the pure insight: what you've discovered about human behavior. Then outline the process for exploring implications: who should be involved in solution sessions, what constraints exist, what success might look like. This separation ensures insights retain their revelatory power while enabling practical progress.

When you uncover a true insight, it demands careful exploration through collaborative workshops. Unlike findings that suggest clear fixes, insights reveal complex truths requiring multiple perspectives to understand implications and generate appropriate solutions.

Structure insight workshops in phases. Begin with insight immersion: ensure all participants deeply understand the insight and supporting evidence. Share the journey findings that led to this revelation. Next, explore implications across different customer segments, business areas, and strategic priorities. What does this insight mean for product design, marketing messages, service delivery? Use "How might we" questions to open solution spaces without jumping to quick fixes.

Invite diverse perspectives beyond the usual stakeholders. If your insight reveals customers treat account creation as trust tests rather than functional steps, include security teams, legal, brand strategists, and front-line staff. Each lens reveals different opportunities and constraints. Document all exploration paths, even those not immediately pursued. Insights often yield multiple innovation opportunities over time.

"How might we" (HMW) questions transform discoveries into exploration opportunities without prescribing solutions. This framing technique works for both findings and insights but serves different purposes. For findings, HMW questions open creative solution spaces. For insights about complex human behavior, they help teams explore implications before rushing to fixes.

Craft effective HMW questions by balancing specificity with openness. Too broad ("How might we improve customer experience?") provides no direction. Too narrow ("How might we add a button to page three?") limits creative thinking. Good HMW questions like "How might we help customers feel confident about total costs before checkout?" focus exploration while allowing diverse approaches.

When working with insights, layer your HMW questions. If you've discovered customers abandon carts expecting retention discounts, don't jump to "How might we prevent abandonment?" Instead, try "How might we address price expectations?" or "How might we build value perception throughout the journey?" These questions honor the insight's complexity while guiding productive exploration.