What is customer journey mapping?

A customer journey map, also often called a user journey map, is a visual diagram that tells the story of how someone interacts with your product or service over time. Think of it as a movie storyboard that captures each scene of the customer experience, from first hearing about your brand to becoming a loyal user. It begins with gathering customer activities and organizing them chronologically. These actions are then enriched with emotional context and mental states to build a complete story. After refining this narrative, teams create a visual representation that brings the experience to life.^[1]

Journey maps share common structural elements. The header identifies who you're mapping and what they're trying to accomplish. The core section breaks down stages of the experience, documenting behaviors, feelings, and thought processes throughout. The footer captures what you've learned: potential improvements, key discoveries, and who's responsible for addressing them.

What makes journey mapping unique is its focus on the customer's perspective rather than internal business processes. It reveals the experience as customers actually live it, not as companies assume it works. This outside-in view exposes gaps between intention and reality.