User journey mapping: need of the hour
Self as a customer, I want to purchase a new phone in exchange for my old phone
“Journies have defined our world”. Do you know behind any decision you make or any step you take, there are certain phases that collectively make a journey without knowing consciously.
What is user journey mapping?
User Journey Mapping is a visualization of the entire process which a user goes through from the beginning till the end for the accomplishment of the desired goal. It is an essential part of the User Experience. It helps in the better execution of a plan. When our experience meets expectations, everything seems to be on cloud nine but when expectations remain unfulfilled User Journey Mapping comes into the picture as it helps us to intervene and shows how a solution can result in the entire procedure. It also talks about the user’s expectations, feelings, emotions, etc.
Components of the user journey mapping :
- User(persona)
- Goal or task
- Expectations
- Emotions
- Touchpoints
- Pain points & Suggestions
Why it is important to create a user journey map?
It not only provides a clear understanding of a user journey but also helps to understand the needs & demands of the user, whatever they have gone through or what they are trying to achieve while keeping their expectations & emotions in mind.
Benefits of user journey mapping
- It helps in better planning.
- It keeps the track of every step which the user takes.
- It helps to empathise with the user & provides the ability to see the entire process with the user’s lenses.
- It also helps to understand the gaps in service or communications.
- It provides the opportunity to increase user satisfaction.
- It benefits in improving the user journey.
To know what user journey mapping is & how it is important in the user experience in detail, let us dive deep into my project. So here I am sharing my journey map where I covered the entire journey as a customer who wants to buy a new phone in exchange for my old phone. It is divided into 7 steps which collectively forms a journey full of emotions, expectations & touchpoints.
Wondering why I took this journey right? Let me tell you that mobile phones are essential for every age group in today's world whether teenagers, youth or elderly people. It provides freedom to stay connected to anyone anytime. It completely altered the way people work, socializes & entertains themselves.
Let's get started with Mapping
Phase 1- The phone stopped working
My phone stopped working properly which is very essential nowadays for personal as well as professional use due to which I decided to buy a new phone.
Touchpoint : *Mobile
Emotion: 😢
Experience: Feeling disappointed as my phone stopped working
Phase 2 - Searched on Amazon
I searched for various phones with dozens of specifications on Amazon and also the available offers as great Indian festival sale was live. While searching for a good mobile phone, I saw the advertisement for S21 ultra 5G on television. The advertisement itself drove me crazy.
Touchpoints: *Mobile *Amazon *Television
Emotions: 😍
Experience: Amazed by the specifications of Samsung S21 ultra 5G
Phase 3 - Re-went on Amazon
Then I decided to re-went on Amazon & check out the Samsung S21 ultra 5G properly like price, features and available offers. But my main goal was to buy a new mobile phone in exchange for my old phone, so I checked the exchange value of my old phone on Amazon which was not satisfying for me due to which I decided to check out the value on a store too referred by my father.
Touchpoints: *Mobile *Amazon *Father
Emotion: 😔
Experience: Feeling sad by the exchange value given by Amazon
Phase 4 - Commute to reach to store
Got ready, put my mask on & took my scooty to reach the store. I also used google maps to get a better understanding of the route for saving time and as well as my fuel. But the moment I started my journey, it seemed like all ill omens took place. First, I was introduced to bumpy & waterlogged roads which made it impossible for me to balance the scooty. Second, I had to wait for 45 minutes at the train gatepost which was exhausting. Third, got stuck in a huge traffic jam which was dead frustrating when you have already waited for 45minutes at the train gatepost. After this unpleasant tiring journey, I finally reached the shop where no parking area was there due to which I felt annoyed again.
Touchpoints: *Scooty * Google maps * Mobile * Traffic * Train gatepost
Emotions:😤
Experience: Feeling frustrated due to time wasted by train gatepost & the traffic jam
Phase 5 -Inside the store
The ambience of the shop was pretty good and the owner of the store seemed a kind person as he greeted me with a big smile on his face. First, I moved towards the counter and asked the salesperson for Samsung S21ultra 5G. After that, I finalised the colour & model of my desired mobile particularly. Later, I asked for the good exchange value of my old smartphone( Samsung s20fe) & the value offered was 35k which was far better than the value given by Amazon which firmed my decision of purchasing the mobile from the store only.
Touchpoints: *Shop owner *Salesperson *Old smartphone
Emotions: 😄
Experience: Feeling happy as I got an amazing exchange value
Phase 6 - Exchange Process
Finally, I purchased the Samsung S21ultra 5G in exchange for my old smartphone. I received my new phone along with a freebie(earphones) which enhanced my overall journey.
Touchpoints: *Salesperson *Samsung S21ultra *Old phone *Freebie
Emotions: 😍
Experience: Extremely happy with my new phone along with the freebie(earphone)
Phase 7 -Billing & Payment
In the end, I asked for the bill after giving my old smartphone and paid the remaining amount through UPI (Gpay). After that, I thanked the owner of the shop and left the store.
Touchpoints: *Owner *Bill *Mobile *Gpay
Emotions:
Experience: Happy with my purchase and satisfied with the customer service
Learnings
This entire process made me realise that how important role ‘customer service’ plays if you want to retain your customers and grow your organisation or brand or company as happy customers helps in increasing the revenue & reputation and decreasing the churn(the number of customers who leave the service after purchase).
As Mark Twain said, “Supposing is good but finding out is better”. Here’s a broad view of how my User Journey Map looks like:
User journey maps can help you illustrate the overall experience of a customer and provides you the freedom to intervene for improving and optimizing the customer experience.I hope with the aforementioned I helped you to understand User Journey Map better & why it is a crucial part of User experience as it helps you to know your customer better.
Please feel free to give any kind of suggestion
Thanks for reading
Swati Jha
