Experience map versus Journey map
Experience mapping and journey mapping are sometimes used interchangeably, and there are certainly some elements in both that overlap however there are a few very key differences between them that need to be considered when deciding if a journey OR experience map will best serve the needs of your organization.
Let’s discuss how experience maps different from journey maps.
Experience maps is a holistic, visualization of experience, from beginning to end, that a customer will go through irrespective of a specific product/department. These maps are more concerned with human behavior to discover more about the thoughts and experiences of a customer at every stage in the buying cycle.
Just think of an experience map as a parent to a journey map where the journey map has a specific actor and specific scenario whereas an experience map is broader on both accounts and has a generic human undergoing a general human experience
These maps are best used when you don’t know exactly where the problem lies or maybe You know something, somewhere is falling short, and by approaching the exercise in an honest and open-minded manner, you can hopefully identify the customer pain points.
Journey maps are the visualization of the process a customer goes through to get from the first stage of the buying cycle, all the way to post-purchase. The goal of the map is to determine all the potential pain points or issues that customers may be encountering. The outcome of this exercise is typically a diagram demonstrating the various stages a customer moves through, and the subsequent emotions they feel as they go through these stages of interaction with the company.
These maps are best used when you want to put yourself in a customer’s shoes to understand their experience when interacting with your company or product.
While creating a journey map you should have a specific goal in mind, or a specific issue that you are aware of that needs to be solved. In simple words, a customer journey map is best used if you know where you want to focus; you know where the problem lies, you just need to find out how to solve it.
Now we know the difference between experience map and journey map is, its perfect time to introduce another map “User story map” widely used in Agile circles.
A user story map is a visual version of a user stories, generally writing out the different steps that the team plans for the user to take when using that functionality.
While, at a glance, a user story map may look like a journey map and may contain some of the same pieces, they are used at different points of the process.
Journey maps are meant for discovery and understanding (think big picture), while user story maps are for planning and implementation (think little picture)
Let me explain with you an example, imagine the world before the ride sharing market existed (Uber, Ola, Taxi4sure to name a few). If we were to create an experience map of how a person gets from one place to another, the map would likely include walking, biking, driving, riding with a friend, public transportation, or calling a taxi. Using that experience map we could isolate pain points: unknown fares, bad weather, unpredictable timing, paying in cash, and so on. Using these pain points, we would then create a future journey map for a specific product: how does a specific user call a car using the Ola?
Now imagine our journey map for Ola indicated that a pain point appeared when the user was in a large group. To address it, the team may introduce a multi car call option. We could create a user story map to break this feature (multi car call) into smaller pieces, so a product-development team could plan release cycles and corresponding tasks.
To simplify, it is safe to say that the experience map is the parent of the journey map and grandparent of user story maps
Parting words
A customer experience map is a total visualization of the big picture, taking everything into account that can impact a customer’s experience while the customer journey map is more targeted, focused on one area of the organization, or a specific transaction, and an individual customer persona. To implement a successful customer experience program, start with a customer experience map to understand the overall experience and biggest opportunities the create multiple journey maps to explore those findings in depth
